Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction 2018 did spring a few surprises when big-ticket players – Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Martin Guptill, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Lasith Malinga, Ishant Sharma – went unsold on Day 1. The eight franchises took a cautious approach as they chose to spend their purse amount cleverly.

On the other hand, Ben Stokes lived up to its expectations as he fetched Rs. 12.50 Cr. in IPL Auction 2018. There was an aggressive bid for the hard-hitting English all-rounder who was bagged by Rajasthan Royals. As the auction continues in Bengaluru, we at Latestly, bring to you the list of players who were the highest paid players when the reports last came in.

1. Ben Stokes – Auction Price: 12.50 Cr – Rajasthan Royals

Probably the most talked player in the cricketing circuit now, Ben Stokes was tipped to be one of the highest-paid players in IPL Auction 2018. The bid began with Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab, as Kolkata Knight Riders jumped in later. Rajasthan Royals (RR) sneaked in the end as the English all-rounder was eventually pouched by RR – known for bargain spending in previous editions of IPL.

2. KL Rahul – Auction Price: 11.00 Cr – Kings XI Punjab

One of the most under-rated batsmen in the Indian Cricket line-up, KL Rahul raised many eyebrows when he turned out to be the highest paid Indian player on 11th IPL Auction Day 1. Initially, the bid-war began with Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians as the auction price was raised till Rs. 6 Cr. Later, Sun Risers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab took over and the bidding got saw aggressive raise again. Eventually, it was the Preity Zinta-owned franchise who bagged KL Rahul in IPL Auction 2018.

3. Manish Pandey – Auction Price: 11.00 Cr – Sun Risers Hyderabad

Manish Pandey auction’s price was a shocker given his struggle to cement his place in the Indian team, despite his abundant talent. Pandey seemed to be the most sought player this auction as five teams – Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sun Risers Hyderabad – were after his batting prowess. Sun Risers Hyderabad bagged Manish Pandey eventually, as they seem to bolster their otherwise weak middle-order.

4. Chris Lynn – Auction Price: 09.60 Cr – Kolkata Knight Riders

Known for his hard-hitting abilities, Chris Lynn auction price was not a surprise with his bulky price tag. Formerly with KKR, the bidding began with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Mumbai Indians dropped out at Rs. 5 Cr. and KKR jumped the auction-bandwagon then. Royals too dropped out at Rs 5.6 Cr, and just as when it seemed that KKR has bagged their former batsman, Delhi Daredevils made a fresh bid. Royal Challengers Bangalore was another surprise late-entrant in the bidding; though in the end Chris Lynn was sold to KKR.

5. Mitchell Starc – Auction Price: 09.40 – Kolkata Knight Riders

The fast, fiery, and accurate left-arm bowler was one of the big names going in this IPL Auction. The Australian quick, known for his swing, and accuracy at acute pace, is now one of the highest paid bowlers in IPL history with this price tag. The bidding for Starc was between Kolkata Knight and Kings XI Punjab only. KKR known for their love to buy fierce fast bowlers – earlier Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee – have banked on Starc this year!

6. Glenn Maxwell – Auction Price: 09.00 Cr – Delhi Daredevils

The first bid took a while for Glenn Maxwell and it eventually came from Sunrisers Hyderabad. Then, Rajasthan Royals entered the bidding with Royal Challengers in the suit. Late-entrant Delhi Daredevils entered the auction at R.s 7 Cr but was soon outbid by Sunrisers Hyderabad again. Eventually, Sunrisers dropped out at Rs 9 Cr as Maxwell will now play with Delhi Daredevils with Ponting as their Coach.

7. Rashid Khan – Auction Price: 09.00 Cr – Sun Risers Hyderabad (Right To Match Card)

The 19-year-old wonder from Afghanistan has shot to fame in very less time. He lit-up last year’s IPL with his exuberant performances with the ball. Kings XI Punjab made the opening bid and Rajshtan Royals were the early bidders. Delhi entered late in the bidding at Rs. 6 Cr. and so did RCB with Rs. 7.6 Cr. Both RCB and Kinghs XI Punjab were locked in tough fight, with Kings XI Punjab being the highest bidder. However Sun Risers Hyderabad, sitting patiently with their RTM, chose to use it for Rashid Khan eventually.

The Day 1 of the IPL Auction 2018 saw a lot of surprises, misses and delightful buys from the franchises. A lot of players went unsold – who were tipped to be big buys – this auction. However, they will have another chance to be in the auction process on Day 2, if the franchises show any interest. The two-day auction process was underway in Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bengaluru and with all the franchises spending almost half of their purse amount it will be interesting to see how the Day 2 unfolds. Stay tuned for more such latest updates of Indian Premier League 2018 Auction.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2018 05:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).