IPL Auction 2018: 5 Indian players with low base prices who fetched big money
The two-day marathon player auctions for the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League, where 578 Indian and overseas players were vying for 182 slots, was an interesting affair.
As expected, there were a lot of surprises over the course of two days as some of the well-established names could not find any takers, while the lesser-known players got away with flashy price tags.
The Indians were expected to get better deals than the overseas players but a few turned into household names by attracting colossal bids.
On one hand, where international stars like Joe Root, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn and Shaun Marsh remained unsold, unrenowned Indian players made a splash.
Now, let us have a look at the five Indian players, who had low base prices but fetched big money for the 11th edition of the T20 tournament to be held from 7 April to 27 May.
#5 Krishnappa Gowtham (INR 6.2 crore)
Rajasthan Royals shelled out a whopping INR 6.20 crore to pick up Karnataka all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham, paying 31 times his base price of INR 20 lakh.
Nicknamed 'Bhajji', Gowtham fetched substantially more than his idol Harbhajan Singh, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings for his base price of INR 2 crore.
Gowtham has had an outstanding domestic season for Karnataka, picking up 34 wickets and a season-high score of 149 in an innings against Assam in Ranji Trophy.
In IPL 2017, the 29-year-old was bought for INR 2 crore by Mumbai Indians, but he didn't play a single match.
“I was watching the auctions with my family. It feels great (landing a deal) but more than that, I’m glad the teams have watched me closely and followed my performances throughout the season," Gowtham said.