IPL 2018: IPL XI cheaper than Ben Stokes
For the second consecutive year, Ben Stokes finished as the most expensive player in the IPL Auction. In 2017, he signed for Rising Pune Supergiant while in 2018, he has gone to the side that has replaced them, Rajasthan Royals
While the England all-rounder is one of the finest players in the world, there is no doubt that the Royals could have put the 12.5 crores they spent on Stokes to better use. In fact, they could have signed an entire team of players cheaper than the amount that they spent on Stokes.
The team assembled in this article cost a grand total of 12.4 crores, which is still 10 lakhs less than what the Royals paid for Stokes. 11 players for 12.4 crores or just 1 for 12.5 crores. The choice was there for the Royals but they went for the latter. In any case, here is an IPL XI that is cheaper than Ben Stokes:
Openers
Colin Munro - 1.9 crores
One of the biggest surprises of IPL Auction 2018 was the price for which one of the finest T20 openers in the world was sold. Delhi Daredevils managed to claim one of the bargains of the Auction as they bought Colin Munro for just 1.90 crores. A side that already boasts of Rishabh Pant will have another destructive opener in their ranks.
Manan Vohra - 1.1 crores
Although Manan Vohra has never been on the fringes of national selection, he has always been a consistent performer in the IPL. Although RCB have a star-studded batting line-up, having an Indian batsman who can score consistently will be a huge boost for them, especially one they got their hands on for just 1.1 crores.