Mumbai, December 18: It must be a night of mixed emotions for Yuvraj Singh. For the better part of the IPL auction on Tuesday, it seemed that the southpaw would go unsold as teams seemed reluctant to get Yuvraj on board, given his recent form and age. However, Mumbai Indians paid Rs one crore for Yuvraj Singh in a last-minute buy and franchise owner Akash Ambani called it their biggest steal in the tournament's 11-year-old history. Not sure if Yuvraj Singh will share the same feeling after his price tag. Varun Chakravarthy: All You Need to Know About the 'Mystery Spinner' KXIP Bagged for INR 8.4 Crores at IPL 2019 Auctions.
The reason Yuvraj Singh's Rs 1 crore price tag comes as a surprise is partly due his exploits in the T20 in past and partly due to his history at the IPL auction. . IPL 2019 Auctions: Uncapped Varun Chakravarthy Sold to Kings XI Punjab for 8.4 Crore, Jaydev Unadkat Returns to Rajasthan Royals.
Below is Yuvraj Singh's record at the IPL auction over the years and the teams he has represented.
2008 - Icon Player (KXIP)
2011- 8.28 Crore (PWI)
2014- 14 Crore (RCB)
2015- 16 Crore (DD)
2016- 7 Crore (SRH)
2018- 2 Crore (KXIP)
2019- 1 Crore (MI)
"To be honest, we had budgeted a lot more for Yuvraj and Malinga. At Rs one crore, a player like Yuvraj is probably a (biggest) steal of 12 (sic) years. He has won every trophy there is to be won," Ambani told the host broadcaster of the auction.
Mumbai Indians also brought back Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, who served the team for long, at his base price of Rs 2 crore.
Yuvraj initially went unsold in the auction and it was only after he re-entered the players' pool, Mumbai Indians bought him. Both Yuvraj and Malinga are past their time and it remains to be seen how Mumbai utilise their services in the 2019 edition. (With Agency Inputs)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2018 11:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).