5 IPL stars whose auction price is lesser than Pawan Sehrawat's PKL price ft. Kane Williamson
Pawan Sehrawat made history yesterday (October 9) by becoming the most expensive signing in Pro Kabaddi League history. The Telugu Titans roped him in for a whopping ₹2.605 crore at the PKL Auction 2023.
Sehrawat broke Mohammadreza Shadlu's record for the most expensive signing in PKL history. Just a few hours before Pawan's auction, Shadlu went under the hammer and Puneri Paltan splurged ₹2.35 crore to acquire his services.
There was a time when the salaries of Pro Kabaddi League players were nowhere near the IPL stars. However, here's a list of five such popular IPL stars whose current salaries in the league are less than Pawan Sehrawat's ₹2.605 crore deal.
#1 Kane Williamson
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson joined the Gujarat Titans for ₹2 crore at the IPL 2023 auction. The Black Caps skipper had a salary of ₹14 crore at Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022 but a string of poor performances led to his release.
Williamson registered himself at a base price of ₹2 crore for the IPL 2023 auction. None of the teams except the Titans showed interest in his services and GT signed him for his base price.
#2 Mitchell Santner
Another New Zealand star to feature on the list is Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder has been with the Chennai Super Kings for quite some time.
CSK roped him in for ₹1.9 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The MS Dhoni-led outfit retained Santner for the same amount in the 2023 season.
#3 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was the first Indian batter to score a century in the IPL. He achieved the feat while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2009.
Pandey had stints with multiple franchises after being released by RCB in 2010. He is currently a part of the Delhi Capitals team, who signed him for ₹2.4 crore at the auction last season.
#4 Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh gained enormous popularity during the IPL 2023 season after he smashed five sixes off five balls in a run-chase against the Gujarat Titans. Singh received his maiden Indian T20I cap and recently won a gold medal with Team India at the Asian Games 2023.
Singh joined KKR last year at the price of ₹55 lakh. KKR retained him for the same amount in 2023. His salary will likely increase in the coming years.
#5 Joe Root
England batter Joe Root is a member of the famous Fab 4 group in cricket. Root has been a consistent performer for England. He registered himself for the IPL 2023 auction and earned a contract worth ₹1 crore from the Rajasthan Royals.
Root was not a regular member in the RR playing XI during the IPL 2023 season. It will be interesting to see if the Jaipur-based franchise retains him for the 2024 season.