IPL 2018 Auction: Krunal Pandya becomes the highest paid uncapped player

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been more than just a league for the Indian cricketers. The young and budding cricketers have found the platform to prove their worth, with many IPL stars having represented the Indian team in the past.

Some of the most famous examples in the recent times are Jasprit Bumrah, who began as a T20 bowler before he made his Test debut this year against South Africa. While Bumrah has made it big at the highest level, the likes of Krunal Pandya and Pawan Negi are looking to represent the Indian team in the future.

Uncapped players, in particular, uncapped all-rounders have been found wanting by all the franchises, as they look to strengthen their core team. At the 2018 IPL Auctions, it was the Mumbai Indians who strengthened their squad with the retention of the Baroda all-rounder Krunal Pandya.

MI use RTM for Krunal

Krunal, the elder brother of the Indian international Hardik Pandya, was the nexus of the Mumbai Indians squad as they won their third IPL title defeating Rising Pune Supergiants by a single run. However, the franchise had to shell out a huge sum to retain the services of the all-rounder.

The franchise spent Rs 8.8 crores using their RTM card as the all-rounder found huge competition from the bidders. In the process, Krunal became the highest paid uncapped player in the history of the competition, going past the former DD all-rounder Pawan Negi.

Negi was bought for 8.5 Crore by Delhi Daredevils in 2016. However, the all-rounder could not live to his price tag as DD ended up having a rough business buying the all-rounder Negi.

Krunal had scored 243 runs at an average of 34.71 and a strike rate of 135.75. With the ball, the left-arm spinner picked up ten wickets at an economy rate of under 7, which is an astonishing feat in T20 cricket. He would be looking to go a notch higher in the upcoming edition.

Follow live feeds of the IPL auction on CricTracker.