IPL 2021 auction was supposed to be a mini-auction but big bucks were surely spent on a few players. As salary caps of different teams weren’t uniform few teams splurged big. There were the usual suspects like Glenn Maxwell who had a field day. Royal Challengers Bangalore purchased Maxwell for INR 14.25 crores. But there were a few surprising IPL Auction 2021 top picks.
StumpsandBails brings to you 5 such surprising picks from the IPL auction:
IPL Auction 2021 Top Picks
#5 Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara was bought by Chennai Super Kings for his base price of INR 50 lakhs in the accelerated auction. The entire auction floor applauded when CSK bought Pujara. It seemed more like honoring Pujara’s commitment to the country rather than a strategical one as Pujara had last played an IPL in 2014.
#4 Marco Jansen
Mumbai Indians were the only team who were aware of this cricketer called Marco Jansen. He plays for the Warriors franchise in South African domestic cricket. It is understood that Jansen is a terrific left-arm seamer who can tonk it big as well. He has been brought in as a cover for Trent Boult.
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#3 Tom Curran
The Delhi Capitals acquired Umesh Yadav for his base price of INR 1 crore. It felt that they had got a steal in him. But what surprised the fans was the fact that when England pacer Tom Curran’s name cropped up, many franchisees showed excitement. Delhi Capitals acquired him for a whopping INR 5.25 crores.
Curran is an ideal backup for Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. He had a disappointing IPL with Rajasthan Royals last season, hence it was surprising to see him fetch such a deal this year.
#2 Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson has had a terrific first year in international cricket. He picked up 36 wickets in just the 6 Tests. Jamieson made telling contributions against India in both ODI’s and Tests. It was known to everyone that he will fetch a good price in the auctions but none would have known that he will be going in for such a huge amount.
Jamieson had a bidding war going for him. RCB finally managed to bag him for INR 15 crores defeating Punjab Kings’s bid of INR 14.75 crores. He was one of the biggest surprise and success stories of IPL player auctions 2021.
Also Read | IPL 2021: Major Highlights Of IPL Auctions
#1 Kedar Jadhav
Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Kedar Jadhav for his base price (INR 50 lakhs). The veteran batsman went unsold initially but SRH managed to buy him in the second round. The SRH management wanted to address their middle-order muddle by bringing in experienced Jadhav. CSK had released Jadhav ahead of IPL 2021 auctions as he had a disappointing season with them in IPL 2020. It will be interesting to see how SRH’s punt on Jadhav materialises this season.
