IPL 2019: Highest Paid XI from the list of auctioned players

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Who makes it to the highest paid auctioned XI?

Less than 20 days remain for IPL 2019 to kickstart. Some teams have already begun with their practice sessions. No team wants to leave any stone unturned as they gear up for the 2-month long cricket extravaganza. 

The IPL 2019 auction saw a total of 60 players being picked up by various franchises in a bid to get the balance in their team right. There were many big buys as a total of ₹107 crores was splurged by the franchises to procure the services of these players. Many surprise signings were made while some of the renowned players went unsold.

Each franchise of the IPL is given a budget of ₹82 crores to purchase or retain a total of 25 players.

In this article, we compile an IPL XI from the list of players that were auctioned ahead of IPL 2019. Due consideration has been given to the fact that there can be only 4 overseas players in each team's playing XI. The role of player (opener, middle order batsman, all-rounder, and bowler) has also been taken into consideration to form a well-rounded team. 

In all, the IPL XI we have selected will cost ₹57.2 crores. 

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Openers - Martin Guptill (₹1 crore), Colin Ingram (₹6.40 crores)

Martin Guptill

Many franchises do not gamble on the openers in their side and try their best to retain the existing ones. In all, there were only 10 batsmen bought at the 2019 IPL auctions. Of these, Colin Ingram, Joe Denly, Martin Guptill, Manan Vohra, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are opening batsmen. 

Kiwi opener Martin Guptill and South African player Colin Ingram would be part of our auctioned XI.

After going unsold in the first round, Martin Guptill was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for his base price of ₹1 crore during the second round of auction. 

The New Zealand opener has a highly decorated career in limited overs cricket. Guptill has amassed a total of 2272 runs in 76 T20Is and is the 2nd highest run-getter in the format. He was recently overtaken by India's opener Rohit Sharma.

Guptill has an average of 33.91 and also a brilliant strike rate of 132.71 in T20Is. His two stints in the IPL, however, have been far less illustrious. Maybe that is the reason any franchise was reluctant to pick him up. 

The lanky right-handed batsman played for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2016 and was with Kings XI Punjab in 2017. Overall, he has played 10 IPL matches in which he has amassed just 189 runs at a disappointing average of 21.0. 

Sunrisers would be happy that they purchased Martin Guptill as he is in sublime form currently. He recently hit two cracking ODI centuries against Bangladesh at home.

The Auckland-born player also hit a century in a recent first class match against Northern Districts. If he is able to perform well in the IPL, then it would prove to be a bargain buy for the Hyderabad-based franchise. 

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Colin Ingram

Port Elizabeth-born Colin Ingram would be the choice for the second opener in our XI. The Delhi Capitals bought him for a whopping ₹6.40 crores. Ingram's base price was ₹2 crores and he became the 4th most expensive buy at the auction.

The South African batsman is currently playing for the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League. He hit a blistering 127 off 59 deliveries against the Quetta Gladiators in a recent match. Ingram averages over 30 and has a strike rate of a staggering 139.81 in T20s. He can prove to be a vital cog for the Delhi-based franchise in the upcoming season of IPL. 

Honourable Mentions: Joe Denly (₹1 crore), Wriddhiman Saha (₹1.2 crores)

English batsman Joe Denly was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders for a sum of ₹ 1 crore. The Canterbury-born player also has the ability to bowl legbreaks and has been in decent form in the recent past, making him our honourable mention in the list of opening batsman. 

Wriddhiman Saha could be another viable option in the auctioned XI. The wicketkeeper-batsman has found good form with the bat. He plays for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and even smashed a superb 129 off 62 deliveries against Arunachal Pradesh recently. 

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