The IPL 2020 auction which was held in Kolkata on December 19 proved to be a money rain down on plenty of players. The eight franchises came in looking to fill in specific spots in their squads and had the players they wanted to go after on target.
As the players' name was called out, there was a bidding war for them amongst some franchise and this meant the price of the said player went up exponentially. Therefore there were many players who went up on the gravel and were bought for amazingly high prices and Team COC presents to you the 10 most expensive buys in the auction.
Here are the 10 most expensive buys in the IPL 2020 auction (All the figures in INR)
Marcus Stoinis- 4.80 crores by Delhi Capitals
The Australian all-rounder had played for Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the past two IPL seasons. His performance was decent with 473 runs and 15 wickets in 29 matches. The Delhi Capitals had released their prime all-rounder Chris Morris before the auction and went hard for Stoinis, buying him for INR 4.80 crores in the end.
Eoin Morgan- 5.25 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders
Eoin Morgan last played in IPL in 2017 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but his full potential in the IPL was never realized despite him playing since 2010. He played the full tournament only once in 2013, but after winning the 2019 World Cup for England and taking the team to the pinnacle of ICC ODI team rankings, he was in demand during the IPL 2020 auction. The KKR team bid hard for the England captain and got him for 5.25 crores in the end.
Sam Curran was bought by KXIP in last year’s auction for 7.20 crores and picked a hat-trick for them as well. But it seems KXIP didn’t find the young all-rounder suitable for their plans in 2020 and was released. CSK was looking for an all-rounder to back up Dwayne Bravo in the teams and went hard for Sam Curran, whose cutters and slower balls would work well on Chepauk pitch. They finally got him for 5.50 cr.
Piyush Chawla- 6.75 crores by Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings exhausted their purse when they bought Piyush Chawla for 6.75 cr. Chawla had a long run with the KKR team, winning two IPLs with the franchises. But he was let go before this auction. Chawla possesses a good record with 150 wickets to his name in the league and his bowling will suit Chepauk pitch, where he can form a good pairing with Imran Tahir.
Shimron Hetmyer’s initial IPL season was a disaster with RCB as he struggled to come to terms with Indian pitches. One year older and wiser, Hetmyer has been amazing for the West Indies team and though RCB went hard in the auction for him, Delhi Capitals bid 7.75 crores for him and he will be playing for them bringing power in the middle order.
Nathan Coulter-Nile- 8.00 crores by Mumbai Indians
Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has played for Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians previously in the IPL and has picked 36 wickets in 26 matches. Coulter-Nile had missed the 2018 season for the RCB due to an injury and was released. However, the MI went for him the 2020 auction and bought him for an astounding 8 crore rupees.
Sheldon Cottrell- 8.50 crores by Kings XI Punjab
Sheldon Cottrell has captivated the minds of cricket fans all over the world with his ability to change pace and swing the ball at the start. His salute celebration is already a hit with kids and young cricket fans alike and this meant that he would trigger a bidding war in the IPL 2020 auction. This happened and Cottrell was finally bought by KXIP for 8.50 crores beating KKR in the process.
Chris Morris- 10.00 crores by Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Morris has been in high demand in the IPL and had a very good career with Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in the tournament. In 61 matches, he has 69 wickets and 517 runs with two half-centuries. He was influential in DC reaching the playoffs in 2019 but was released by the franchise ahead of the auctions in 2020. RCB swooped in and bought him for 10 crores in the auction given their need for a good fast bowler with batting acumen, having released both Stoinis and Southee.
Glenn Maxwell- 10.75 crores by Kings XI Punjab
Glenn Maxwell has shared a special relationship with Kings XI Punjab given that he has captained the franchise in the past and has been their best player for a long time. After having missed the previous edition of the tournament to prepare for the 2019 World Cup, Maxwell put himself back in the auction and saw a bidding war for himself, which was won by KXIP after spending 10.75 crores.
Pat Cummins- 15.50 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders
Pat Cummins had also missed the IPL 2019 to focus on World Cup, but with 2020 T20 World Cup preparations in the sight, every foreign player wanted to be part of IPL and he entered the auction, having missed the 2018 edition with an injury when he was scheduled to play for Mumbai Indians. In a big bidding war between Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the end, it was KKR who prevailed with an epic bid of 15.50 crores and Cummins became the most expensive overseas buy in IPL history