I didn't know how much INR 15 crore was in New Zealand dollars: Kyle Jamieson
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson has termed his anxious wait to be picked up at the IPL 2021 Auction, as a 'weird' experience.
As the IPL auction unfolded late at night in New Zealand, Kyle Jamieson awkwardly waited for his name to be called out. An unexpected 3-way bidding war culminated in the Royal Challengers Bangalore signing him for a stupendous INR 15 crores. The 26-year-old has now revealed he didn't know how much the fee amounted to in his local currency.
Kyle Jamieson became the most expensive Kiwi buy at the IPL auctions and 4th highest overall in IPL history. The 6'8'' lanky pacer's RCB signing fee is nearly 20 times higher than his retainer fee of USD 100,000 to 150,000 for the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Interacting with stuff.co.nz, Kyle Jamieson also revealed a brief conversation with former New Zealand pacer and Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond.
"I woke up around midnight and decided to check the phone. Rather than trying to avoid the situation, (I thought) I'll sit back and enjoy it. It was certainly a weird hour and a half waiting for my name to be called up. I had a message from Shane Bond as it was going and he said, 'How good is this'. I didn't actually know what the amount of money was, how that translated to New Zealand dollars. It was quite cool to share that moment with him and ride that two or three minutes with him," said Kyle Jamieson.
Kyle Jamieson has risen from the ranks of domestic cricket in New Zealand. The towering quick is well known for his raw pace, lethal outswing and awkward bounce.
Jamieson has featured in just 12 internationals for New Zealand but his nascent career has been enough to catch eyeballs. In 6 Tests, Jamieson has picked up 36 wickets at a staggering average of 13.28. He also has 3 wickets each in ODIs and T20Is.
There are so many cool experiences to be had over the IPL: Kyle Jamieson
In IPL 2021, Kyle Jamieson will rub his shoulders with international superstars like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell. More importantly, being the overseas pick, he will be expected to lead RCB's bowling attack comprising of Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj.
Jamieson revealed he is excited about experiencing and learning in the marquee T20 league, and is looking forward to the opportunity.
"I think it's such a special tournament, obviously the biggest franchise tournament around. There's so many cool experiences to be had over there and learning opportunities. That's the thing that excites me the most... being able to rub shoulders with these guys. It's such a unique situation for us as cricketers and to be able to do that is something pretty special," concluded Jamieson.