IPL 2021 mini-auction in Chennai saw some highly expensive bids. But Rajasthan Royals’ acquisition of Chris Morris for Rs 16.25 crores was not only the highlight of the auction but also the most expensive buy in the history of the league. Bidding for Morris exceeded his base price massively, as Punjab Kings and Rajasthan engaged in a long contest over the South African all-rounder. Eventually, he surpassed Yuvraj Singh’s record of Rs 16 crores to emerge as the most expensive player in IPL.
The second most expensive buy in the auction was IPL newbie Kyle Jamieson. The all-rounder from New Zealand was taken for Rs 15 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore, after their highly engaging bidding war with Punjab Kings. The tall pacer with the height of At 6’8” became the fourth-most expensive buy in the IPL history.
Glenn Maxwell will join Jamieson at RCB as the Australian all-rounder became the third-highest buy at the auction with Rs 14.25 crores. Despite his underwhelming performance in IPL in the past couple of years, he has always been one of the expensive acquisitions in IPL auctions. Since RCB needed someone to replace Moeen Ali and Maxwell had previously expressed his wish to play with Virat Kohli, the franchise fought hard to buy him.
Punjab Kings, who entered the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 53.2 crores, bagged Jhye Richardson for Rs 14 crores. The 24-year-old Australian fast bowler has shown great potential in domestic matches and BBL. This tearaway pacer has express speed despite a small body structure and is expected to attain great heights with Punjab.
Apart from being the fifth-most expensive buy at the auction, K Gowtham also became the most expensive Indian player at the event. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 9.25 crore. Previously, Gowtham played for Rajasthan Royals in 2018-2019 before becoming a part of Punjab Kings during 2020 season. He will now join CSK’s group of established all-rounders such as Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.