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Ishan Kishan, Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer attract biggest bids in IPL 2022 auctions

Team MVR

Young wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan fetched a whopping 15.25 crore in Indian Premier League 2022 auction in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians bought back the 23-year-old Kishan in a fierce bidding war on a dramatic first day that witnessed auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapse.

Ten teams, including two new additions in Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, started with a total purse of nearly $75 million to spend across two days.

Uncapped pace bowler Avesh Khan hit the jackpot when he attracted a winning bid of 10 crores from Lucknow as his stock jumped from a base price of $26,500.

Up-and-coming talent, including Shahrukh Khan, a hard-hitting batsman, and Rahul Tewatia, a bowling all-rounder, went to Punjab Kings and Gujarat as each jumped from a base price of $53,000 to bag 9 crores each.

The left-handed Kishan made his international debut last year. His fee fell short of the Indian record of 16 crores paid to Yuvraj Singh in the 2015 auction, which sets players’ salaries for the tournament.

South Africa’s Chris Morris is the most expensive IPL player ever, selling for 16.25 crores last year.

The second most expensive player on Saturday was bowling all-rounder Deepak Chahar, bought back by Chennai Super Kings for 14 crores.

Shreyas Iyer, who stood out with his match-winning 80 as India completed a 3-0 ODI whitewash of the West Indies on Friday, was won by Kolkata Knight Riders for 12.25 crores.

Kolkata secured a return for Australia’s Pat Cummins, who went to the same team for a record $2.17 million in 2019 but was released last year, for 7.25 crores.

Cummins and Iyer remain Kolkata’s options for the captaincy after the team did not retain England’s Eoin Morgan — who led them to the runners-up spot last season.

Pace bowler Harshal Patel, who played just two T20 matches for India last year, went for 10.75 crores to Royal Challengers Bangalore, who also got Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga at the same price.

Edmeades — a former chairman of Christie’s in London — collapsed during the bidding for Hasaranga and organisers said later he was “stable” under medical care.

Veteran sports presenter Charu Sharma took over for the rest of the day.

The auction kicked off with Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian opener going to Punjab Kings for 8.25 crore.

Punjab also got South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada for 9.25 crore.

New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult also crossed the million-dollar threshold with his 8 crore signing by Rajasthan Royals, who also won the bidding for Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (5 crore).

Ashwin joins England’s Jos Buttler at Rajasthan after a sportsmanship row between the two erupted 2019, when the spinner ran out the star batsman at the non-striker’s end in a Mankad dismissal.

South Africa’s Faf du Plessis (7 crore) went to Royal Challengers Bangalore while Delhi Capitals got David Warner for 6.25 crore.

West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for 10.75 crore. West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder went to Lucknow for 8.75 crore.

New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson went to Gujarat for 10 crore while England pace bowler Mark Wood will feature for Lucknow for 7.50 crore.

The teams have been bidding for 600 foreign and Indian players in the auction — which concludes Sunday — to reset their teams after retaining few of their top players.

The 15th edition of the IPL begins in late March, with the final in May.