IPL 2020: 5 Players with greatest multiples of their base price in the auction

The auction for the 2020 edition Indian Premier League (IPL) kept everyone on their toes. As many as 338 players were set to go under the hammer with 73 slots to be filled. The likes of Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris stole the show as franchises went hammer and tongs to get hold of the big names.

On the other hand, many massive names like Angelo Mathews weren’t called out. Even as 62 players were blessed with deals, 64 players remained unsold. Names of 212 players didn’t even pop up. In the meantime, there were a few cricketers, who price shot up pretty quickly.

Cummins earned 15.5 crores, but he wasn’t the biggest gainer since he garnered 7.75 times more than his base price. However, a number of them earned 10 or even more times than their base price.

In the article, let’s take a look at 5 of the biggest gainers in the IPL 2020 Auction:-

Sheldon Cottrell- 17 times

Sheldon Cottrell has come up the ranks in international cricket over the last 12 months or so. His performances for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the CPL also impressed one and all. In the IPL auction, the West Indies speedster set himself a base price of INR 50 lakhs and his stocks kept going up at a brisk rate.

In the end, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) bagged him for a whopping INR 8.50 crores. Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) also went after the left-armer, but KXIP kept their cool. The Jamaica-born bowler in currently a part of the Caribbean squad for the ODI series against India.

At the T20 level, the 30-year-old has 117 wickets in 83 matches, numbers which suggest that he’s a genuine wicket-taker. His economy of 7.46 also speaks volumes about his exploits in the T20 format.

Shimron Hetmyer- 15.5 times

After an impressive outing for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL followed by some decent shows for the West Indies, Shimron Hetmyer got a chance to play in the 2019 IPL. However, he couldn’t live up to the price-tag of INR 4.20 crore from the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He could only manage 90 runs from five matches with a top-score of 75.

RCB later released him off his services. This time around, the southpaw got INR 7.75 crores from the Delhi Capitals (DC) from a base price of INR 50 lakhs. It was after a bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Rajasthan Royals.

A few days ago, Hetmyer turned up with a match-winning 139 against India and it didn’t elude the eyes of the IPL franchises. DC will be hoping for Hetmyer to show the same form in the IPL as well.

Varun Chakravarthy- 13.3 times

Varun Chakravarthy was a surprise package in the 2019 IPL auction after Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) got him for INR 8.40 crores. Unfortunately, the spinner played made his IPL debut versus the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where he was taken to the cleaners while bowling in the powerplay.

Sunil Narine laid into him and though Varun got rid of Nitish Rana later, he didn’t get another chance to play. To add to his dismay, the Punjab franchise released him after which he went into the auction at INR 30 lakhs. This time around, it was KKR who shelled out INR 4 crore for the Tamil Nadu tweaker.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) entered into a bidding war with the Knights, but couldn’t sustain. The 28-year-old has 22 wickets in nine List A matches and it pretty much shows his ability to pick up wickets.

Yashasvi Jaiswal- 12 times

Back in October 2019, Yashasvi Jaiswal became the youngest to score a List A double century. The 17-year-old achieved the feat against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the same tournament, the left-hander racked up 564 runs at an average of 112.80 with three tons.

In the IPL auction, he registered himself at a base price of 20 lakhs and was one of the Indian youngsters to watch out for. As many as four teams- Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Rajasthan Royals (RR)- tried to bag Jaiswal’s services.

In the end, the Royals brought him after bidding a couple of times. Yashasvi has also gotten quite a few records, representing India U19. The Young Turk’s next big task is in the U19 World Cup in South Africa from January 17 to February 9.

Ravi Bishnoi- 10 times

Ravi Bishnoi is another of those cricketers who will travel to South Africa for the U19 World Cup. But prior to that, the Rajasthan cricketer has more reasons to cheer as he has been picked to play in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) bagged him at INR 2 crores from a base price of INR 20 lakhs.

The Punjab team had to fight hard with Mumbai Indians (MI) to get Bishnoi. At the age of 19, the leg-spinner has already played six List A and as many T20s in which he has notched eight and six wickets respectively.

In the IPL, the KXIP already has the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Krishnappa Gowtham and Murugan Ashwin in their ranks. So, Bishnoi may not get a chance in the eleven right away. But he will be looking to grab with both hands whatever comes his way.