Not many uncapped players in the history of the Indian Premier League have experienced a jump in finances like Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rahul Tewatia. That said, he never allowed a sumptuous bank balance to create a negative impact on his game. He proved the same to a great extent with his solid performances across the last two seasons.
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Tewatia made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2014 after being sold for his base price of INR 10 lakh. Primarily known as a bowling all-rounder back in the day, Tewatia participated in IPL 2015 for the same team at the same price. Since then, he has witnessed an astonishing 90x growth in his salary.
Rahul Tewatia Had No Price Tag Pressure Despite A 3X Salary Increment Of INR 6 Crore
It was during IPL 2017 auction that Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) acquired him for INR 25 lakh. Tewatia breached the INR 1 crore-mark in the subsequent IPL 2018 mega auction after Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) bought him for a price of INR 3 crore. He was a part of the franchise for a couple of seasons before being transferred to the Royals (for a second stint) in 2020 for the same amount.
Much like Delhi, Tewatia represented Rajasthan for a couple of seasons in 2020 and 2021. Hence, earning INR 3 crore per season for four years.
Sold to GT during IPL 2022 mega auction, Tewatia is currently on an INR 9 crore contract. If truth be told, not many had expected Tewatia to hit such a jackpot despite putting on display incredible finishing abilities at RR. After the auction, a confident Tewatia said that the franchise must have seen something in him before the bid.
“The team is showing belief in you and that is why they are ready to spend that kind of money on you. I don’t feel the pressure and it is just a case of trying to repay their faith,” Tewatia had said as quoted by Hindustan Times.
With a base price of INR 40 lakh, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore engaged in a bidding war for the left-handed batter. Gujarat entered the fray when the bid had already reached over INR 2 crore. Gujarat and Chennai battled till the end for his services, but the former ended up securing him.
Titans, who lifted the trophy in their maiden season, were assisted by Tewatia several times during the course of the 15th season of the IPL last year. He scored 217 runs at a strike rate of 147.61 with the help of 22 fours and nine sixes.
Admired By Rahul Tewatia, Gautam Gambhir Had A Different View On Hefty IPL Amount
Although for a brief period in 2018, Tewatia had played under former India batter Gautam Gambhir at Delhi. Gambhir’s viewpoint on the matter, however, was way different than Tewatia.
Most expensive player of IPL 2011 auction post being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for as much as INR 11 crore, the southpaw had admitted that he felt the pressure of such a hefty amount in every single match.
In a heartening birthday wish for Gambhir after sharing the dressing room the same year, Tewatia had expressed his admiration for the his batting and leadership skills.
It is to be noted that Delhi and Haryana had locked horns against each other in a Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final on the very same day. Delhi defeated Haryana courtesy of a century from their skipper Gambhir. Even though Tewatia took Gambhir’s wicket, all the damage had already been done by then.
