The 2018 IPL auction lived up to it’s hype, as the all eight franchises battled in the auction room to settle on their squad for the upcoming seasons.
Shikhar Dhawan was the first name that came out of the bag, as the India opener was eventually bought by KXIP, before the Sunrisers Hyderabad exercised their RTM card for the left hander.
The opening rounds of the auction was bought by Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. The Royals had a terrific start to the IPL as they brought in Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane and Joss Butler in addition to their captain Steve Smith.
KXIP also had a great auction, as they brought in Yuvraj Singh, Ravi Ashwin, Aaron Finch and David Miller to their side.
RCB and KKR started sluggishly, as two of the most popular IPL franchises did not spend much money for the players.
RCB splashed out the cash for Brendon McCullum and Quinton de Kock while KKR spent heavily on Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik.
CSK bought many spinners, most notably Imran Tahir for his base price of Rs 1 crore.
Here we look at the five most shocking buys from the first day of the IPL auction!
Ajinkya Rahane
Rahane was expected to go for a huge amount in today’s IPL auction, but was surprisingly snapped up by Rajasthan Royals via RTM for just Rs 4 crores.
With many teams going for the Mumbai batsman, Rajasthan Royals smartly used their card to bring back Rahane to Jaipur.
At only Rs 4 crores, Rahane is a real steal, something that Rajasthan should thank their lucky stars for.
Krunal Pandya
Arguably the best uncapped player in India today, Kruna Pandya was expected to go for a huge sum in this auction.
But no one could have expected Pandya to go for Rs 8.8 crores, as he smashed the previous record to become the most expensive uncapped player in IPL auction history.
The MI camp were ecstatic, as their joy was obvious to retain the services of all-rounder. With Pandya and Pollard back in their squad, Mumbai Indians have bought back most of their core team from the previous seasons.
Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB could not believe their eyes, as they managed to bring back Yuzi Chahal for just Rs 6 crores! They used their RTM card on the young leggie, as the Bengaluru outfit snapped up one of the best spinners in world cricket right now.
Chahal’s rise over the last few years has been nothing sort of sensational, as he has now established himself in the Indian limited overs side.
His wicket taking ability in the middle of the match is invaluable, and certainly a steal at Rs 6 crores.
Sanju Samson
The young wicket-keeper from Kerala will certainly party tonight, as Sanju Samson was bought for a whooping Rs 8 crores in the IPL auction.
Samson still remains a wonderful prospect for Indian cricket, and will be certainly one to watch out for in the IPL over the next few years.
Bought back by Rajasthan Royals, Samson will be hoping to pay back his enormous price tag with a few match winning performances in the upcoming IPL season.
Imran Tahir
CSK hit the jackpot when they bought Imran Tahir for their base price of Rs 1 crore.
With the likes of Chahal, Yadav and Rashid going for huge prices, CSK managed to get Tahir for just 1 crore. The South African was amazing last year for RPSG, and will certainly be a threat at the Chepauk come April.
A steal if there was ever one!
