IPL 2018 Auction: 5 foreign cricketers with low base prices who fetched big money
The IPL auction is probably the most eagerly anticipated day of the year for cricketers from all over the world due to the untold riches it can bestow on some. Needless to say, players need to choose a reasonable base price so that franchises are interested in bidding for him and in some cases, it can prove to be a masterstroke.
The eventual price for which the player is acquired can sometimes not go much beyond the base price but sometimes it can rise manifold if the franchises are interested in signing him up and that has proven to be the case in many instances over the years.
Among the overseas cricketers who were part of the auction in 2018, many of them chose the strategy of going for a lower base price and went home with a hefty deal. The most important thing to look for is by how many times the base price they went for and here is a look at 5 of the biggest ones.
5 Ben Stokes
The England all-rounder is probably one of the most sought-after assets for IPL franchises and it was no surprise when he became the most expensive player at last year's auction, with a deal worth Rs. 14.5 crores with the Rising Pune Supergiants.
So, it might have been perhaps reasonable had Ben Stokes gone for a high base price so that he could be guaranteed a certain amount, but since a bidding war was almost guaranteed, he chose to go for a base price of Rs. 2 crores. The script went as Stokes must have accepted as 3 franchises went for his services.
Chennai Super Kings took his price past 6.4 crores but that soon went through the roof as Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders took it to 11 crores. Eventually, the Rajasthan Royals came into the picture and acquired the star for 12.5 crores, making him the most expensive player at the IPL auction for two seasons running. Stokes went for more than 6 times his base price.