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Vishal Dikshit
Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas buy in the IPL when Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for INR 15.5 crore (approx. USD 2.2m) at the 2020 auction in Kolkata on Thursday. Expected to be among the biggest buys this auction, Cummins was being chased by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, but the Knight Riders made a late entry at the INR 15 cr mark and snapped him up.
The second highest bid of the day also went to an Australian, Glenn Maxwell, who was picked up by Kings XI Punjab for INR 10.75 cr (approx. USD 1.5m). Maxwell’s bid was started by the Kings XI at his base price of INR 2 cr before Capitals joing in. The bidding war intensified rapidly before slowing down around the INR 10 cr mark. He eventually went back to the Capitals, who as Delhi Daredevils in 2018 had purchased him for INR 9 cr.
World Cup-winning England captain Eoin Morgan was the second player to be bought in the auction for INR 5.25 cr (approx. USD 740k) by the Knight Riders after Chris Lynn was picked up by Mumbai Indians for his base price of INR 2 cr (approx. USD 281k).
The Royal Challengers picked up Australia opener Aaron Finch for INR 4.4 cr (approx. USD 620k ), after winning a bidding war against the Knight Riders.
The Capitals bought two England players at their base price of INR 1.5 cr (approx. USD 211k) – Jason Roy and Chris Woakes – as nobody else bid for them.
The Knight Riders bid for and lost out on Robin Uthappa, who was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for INR 3 cr (USD 421k) after Kings XI also bid for him but lost out.
Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Yusuf Pathan, Colin de Grandhomme and Stuart Binny went unsold in the first round.
More to follow…