South Africa's all-rounder Chris Morris made headlines before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 for his high price in the auction. He was sold for INR 16.25 crore to Rajasthan Royals (RR); becoming the most expensive foreign player in the history of IPL.
Morris, in an interview with BBC Sport, recalled the day he went under the hammer and bagged a huge amount in the auction. “My phone blew up – my mates from home were saying they’ll never pay for beers or anything again,” Morris said.
The 33-year-old has been injury prone and he had to end the last season midway because of it. He wanted to get back to the IPL but the all-rounder couldn't believe what happened in the auction.
“I badly wanted to get back into the IPL. I had unfinished business,” he said. “We basically laughed the whole way through, not believing what had happened.
“The first thing Simon did was grab a few beers so we could celebrate the day before a game, the professionals that we are," he added.
Morris talked about the importance of all-rounders and said they can change the game on their own and hence franchises eye them in the auction. “As an all-rounder, you can impact the game in all three facets – you have an opportunity most of the time to change the game.
“If you look at Mumbai Indians, guys like Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard can affect the game with the ball, bat, or in the field," he said.
The Rajasthan Royals all-rounder revealed he's going to utilize this kind of money to secure his family's future. “Everything I’ve wanted to do and set up my whole life after cricket has pretty much been set up. This is just the cherry on the cake,” he says.
“I’m a big believer in wanting to look after what my family does in the future – if my three-year-old son needs to have a car when he’s 18 or needs to go to university, I don’t have to worry about stuff like that.
“It’s not about spoiling us now, about buying cars, holiday home. It’s just about making sure everyone is looked after one day.”
(With BBC Sport Inputs)
