It was a memorable day for Chris Morris at the IPL 2021 Auction. While he got a contract worth INR 10 crores in 2020, the South African’s worth increased to INR 16.25 crores this year. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals were involved in the race to Morris’ signature, and it was the latter that won the battle. In effect, Morris became the costliest ever player to be sold at an IPL auction.
In this article, we bring to you an interesting playing XI, the worth of which is less than that of Chris Morris. We stick to the IPL rule of having four foreign players in the XI.
Openers: Sheldon Jackson (WK) (INR 0.2 cr) and Dawid Malan (INR 1.5 cr)
Sheldon Jackson is one of the most experienced wicket-keeper batsmen in the Indian domestic circuit. Although he is well into his thirties, Sheldon is still a force behind the stumps and with the bat. He will keep wickets for this squad. ICC’s No. 1 T20 batsman Dawid Malan will play for Punjab Kings in IPL 2021. A specialist in this format, it was a surprise that the Englishman’s price did not increase above his base price.
Middle-Order: Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 0.5 cr), Steve Smith (C) (INR 2.2 cr) and Kedar Jadhav (INR 2 cr)
This middle-order will boast of plenty of experience. Featuring Pujara at No.3, Steve Smith and Kedar Jadhav will also man the core of the batting unit. While Pujara will play for CSK, Smith and Kedar will wear the jersey of DC and SRH respectively, in the upcoming campaign. All three of these batsmen were sold at just around their base price at the auctions. Only Steve Smith could manage an extra bid while Kedar and Pujara went at their base price.
All-Rounders: Shivam Dube (INR 4.4 cr) and Jalaj Saxena (INR 0.3 cr)
After struggling for two years at RCB, Shivam Dube will now hope that a change in atmosphere will trigger his fortunes. He will play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 after an intense bidding war that stopped in favour of RR at INR 4.4 cr. After a gap, Jalaj Saxena will return to IPL. He is experienced and will offer all-round services to PBKS.
Bowlers: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (INR 1.5 cr), Umesh Yadav (INR 1 cr), Mustafizur Rahman (INR 1 cr), and Chetan Sakariya (INR 1.2 cr)
We have a bowling line-up that’s both experienced and diverse in the offering. While Mustafizur will act as the leader, Umesh Yadav will offer experience. Mujeeb is the spin option, while the new kid on the block, Chetan, will come in as the energetic infusion. While the capped players were sold at base price, Chetan got a bid worth INR 1.2 crores.
