Chris Morris made history in the Indian T20 League Auction of 2021 as he became the most expensive buy ever in the history of the tournament. Team Rajasthan picked up the South African all-rounder for a whopping 16.25 cr and created headlines with this move.
This is what mini-auctions do. If by chance a bidding war begins between the franchises, then the upper circuit on the players usually go out of the window and it’s all about getting your man irrespective of the cost. Here, we’d explore the five cricketers who became multi-millionaires in the matter of a couple of hours.
CHRIS MORRIS | 16.25 CRORE | TEAM RAJASTHAN
Chris Morris, a man who just played nine matches in the 2020 edition of the Indian T20 League and hasn’t played any competitive cricket post the tournament became the costliest player ever to be bought in the league’s auction.
There’s no doubt about the skills the big South African all-rounder brings to the field but it’s his injury record which will be worrisome for Team Rajasthan. A fit and firing Chris Morris is a proper T20 all-rounder who deserves the big bucks.
Last season, in just the nine matches he featured in, he showed his class with the ball especially in the toughest period of the game – the death overs. With the bat as well he’s more than capable of producing some valuable cameos and that’s the definition of a top drawer T20 player.
KYLE JAMIESON | 15 CRORE | TEAM BANGALORE
For a player who has a combined experience of just 12 international matches and with none outside his home country, 15 cr sounds a bit ridiculous but that’s how good Kyle Jamieson has been over the year or so.
There was plenty of hype around this lanky fast bowler from New Zealand and the Indian T20 League franchises didn’t disappoint. He became the second highest-paid player in the auction and has gone to the team which desperately needed a quality death-over specialist.
Jamieson is more than handy with the bat as well and if Bangalore’s matches are played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium then expect him to strike some mighty hits in front of his home crowd. The price tag will be a concern coming into the tournament given his lack of experience of playing at this level but he is for sure one of the uncut gems from this year’s auction.
GLENN MAXWELL | 14.25 CRORE | TEAM BANGALORE
With every season, Glenn Maxwell’s value just keeps on going through the roof. The previous season was his worst ever season in the league but he still managed to attract plenty of interest from the franchises.
Maxwell is the x-factor player in the league and some would say that he is due a big season in a league where he has failed to live up to the expectations. With him joining the Bangalore team, the management would be hoping that the limelight would move slightly away from the two pillars of the team in Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The intention of going all out for Maxwell is simple, he gives them a cushion in the middle order and with him batting at number four or five in the team, no target would be out of sight.
He is handy with the ball as well and gives Virat an extra bowling option on the field. This could be the season where we could see the ‘Big Show’ finally able to show the Indian fans what the hype around him is all about. Could he be the man to change the fortunes of the franchise? The Banglore fans would certainly hope so.
JHYE RICHARDSON | 14 CRORE | TEAM PUNJAB
This was an auction where overseas fast bowlers were of the highest value to all the franchises. The Australian fast bowler, Jhye Richardson, in his young career, has attracted plenty of interests from all over the world. He is a quality bowler who has the ability to swing the new ball and pick early wickets.
Richardson ended the recently-concluded Big Bash League as the highest wicket-taker with 29 scalps to his name in just 17 matches. His economy was pretty solid as well at 7.69 and it looks like a brilliant buy for Team Punjab.
Jhye is young and hasn’t featured in the league before. He has nine T20Is under his belt where he has performed reasonably well. This will be the real test for the 24-year-old bowler from Western Australia.
KRISHNAPPA GOWTHAM | 9.25 CRORE | TEAM CHENNAI
If you are an all-rounder and that too an Indian one then the chances are that your bank balance is going to go ten folds higher after such mini-auctions. Something similar happened to Karnataka’s all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham, who with 9.25 cr, ended up as the highest-paid Indian player in the 2021 auction.
Gowtham has been picked by Team Chennai which means that he’ll get an opportunity to apply his trade under the brilliance of MS Dhoni. The off-spinning all-rounder has had some decent exposure in the league with 24 matches across three seasons but the best of Gowtham is yet to come. He has won a few matches with the bat from his days with Team Rajasthan but many who have seen Gowtham closely in domestic cricket believe that the all-rounder hasn’t been used properly so far in the league. No better place for him to up his quality than Chennai under the leadership of MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming.
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