IPL Auction 2021: Which team bought the most number of overseas players?
Punjab Kings, who are still searching for their first IPL title, picked up the most number of overseas players in today's auction (5). Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson emerged as their top buy as the Mohali-based outfit secured his services for a whopping INR 14 crore.
Jhye Richardson is yet to play in the IPL, but he has shown his capabilities in the Big Bash League. The seamer finished as the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded BBL. Richardson is also a handy batsman lower down the order.
In BBL 10, Richardson picked 29 wickets and bowled at an economy of 7.69. The right-arm bowler often stepped up in crucial overs for the Scorchers - during the power play, Power Surge and at the death. In that context, his numbers are all the more impressive.
With the bat, Richardson averaged 19.20, and he batted with a strike rate of just under 140. Punjab will hope the Australian can produce similar performances for them.
Here are the four other overseas players that were picked by the Punjab Kings:
- Dawid Malan (1.5 crore)
- Riley Meredith (8 crore)
- Moises Henriques (4.2 crore)
- Fabian Allen 75 lakh
Dawid Malan to play in the IPL for the first time
Dawid Malan was picked up at his base price by the Punjab Kings. The Englishman is currently the top-ranked T20I batsman in the ICC's latest rankings. Many experts believe the Englishman is a shrewd signing for the Punjab Kings, especially since they acquired him at his base price.
Meanwhile, Riley Meredith earned the highest bid for an uncapped overseas player in IPL history. The Australian fast bowler is known for his express pace and can deliver over the 150km/h mark. The 24-year-old plies his trade for the Hobart Hurricanes and enjoyed a decent BBL 10 campaign, picking up 16 wickets at an economy of 7.83.
Moises Henriques is an experienced all-rounder who has previous IPL experience with numerous franchises. He was snapped up by the Punjab Kings for 4.2 crore.
Fabian Allen is an all-rounder from West Indies who has played 14 ODIs and 16 T20I for his country. The 25-year-old is known for his left-arm orthodox spin.
Punjab King's Squad for IPL 2021: KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan
Today's buys: Dawid Malan (INR 1.5 cr), Jhye Richardson (INR 14 cr), Shahrukh Khan (INR 5.25 cr), Riley Meredith (INR 8 cr), Moises Henriques (INR 4.20 Cr), Jalaj Saxena (INR 30 L), Utkarsh Singh (INR 20 L), Fabian Allen (INR 75 L), Saurabh Kumar (INR 20 L)