Spinner Krishnappa Gowtham, fast bowler Umesh Yadav and batsman Sachin Baby were among the local players sold at Thursday's Indian Premier League auction.
Gowtham was purchased by the Chennai Super Kings for INR 9.25 crore. Yadav went to the Delhi Capitals for INR 1 crore. Baby joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 20 lakh.
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who has previously played for Chennai, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Kolkata Knight Riders, was recruited by the Mumbai Indians for INR 2.4 crore.
Chawla's IPL Record
Chawla has taken the third-most wickets in the history of the IPL. Only fast bowler Lasith Malinga and fellow leg-spinner Amit Mishra have more than his 156 wickets in 164 matches.
“Chawla is a good cricketer, a World Cup winner who brings a lot of experience. Spinners have a lot of pressure in this format,” said Mumbai Indians director of cricket operations Zaheer Khan.
“He can bowl with the new ball. We thought if we brought in someone with that skill set, we can add a new dimension to our bowling.”
Chawala joins a Mumbai franchise that is the most successful in the history of the tournament. They have five titles and are the reigning champions after beating the Capitals in the 2020 final.
Who Else Did Delhi Buy?
Delhi invested in several other Indian players, too, including quartet Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala and Manimaran Siddharth. Each of the four was bought for INR 20 lakh.
Punjab's Australians
Punjab's pace-bowling ranks were boosted by the purchases of Australians Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. The pair starred in the recent Big Bash League. Richardson's final price was INR 14 crore. Meredith went for INR 8 crore.
Bangalore's Big Spend
Bangalore, who have played three finals but never won the IPL, bought two of the most expensive players at this week's auction. New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson cost them INR 15 crore. The Royal Challengers also recruited former Punjab all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for INR 14.25 crore.
The auction's most expensive purchase overall was new Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris. The South African star was bought for INR 16.25 crore.
The 2020 IPL was played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Whether the tournament will return to India this year hasn't been confirmed.
