5 surprise millionaires in the IPL over the years
The Indian Premier League is as famous for its high dose of entertainment and big sixes as it is for its rags-to-riches stories. While some players richly deserve the high pay-package that greets them in the league, a few other unknown players often end up being caught up in a bidding war that sees their base price increase manifold.
Each auction brings with it tales of a few surprise millionaires and here we look at the five who were just that.
#5 KC Cariappa- Rs 2.4 crores in 2015
After bagging Sunil Narine when no one knew much about him, Kolkata Knight Riders wanted to pull off a similar coup when they picked up unknown spinner KC Cariappa for Rs 2.4 crores in 2015. A product of the Karnataka Premier League, Cariappa impressed Wasim Akram and Gautam Gambhir in 2014, who asked the bowler to work on his fitness for the following season.
Even though the young player had picked up 11 wickets in six matches in the KPL while representing Bijapur Bulls, his ability to go for runs that would allow him to lose his momentum sooner than later, made him a shock buy for Rs 2.4 crores. Till the auctions in 2015, he had only played for the Karnataka Under-19 team in limited overs and had been called up in the preliminary squad of the state but was yet to represent them.
The leg-spinner played just one game in 2015 and picked up one wicket, before he was bought by Punjab the following season.