The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 auctions are a few days away and the governing council has created a buzz by announcing the list of players who will go under the hammer. A total of 578 players have been enlisted, including 360 (capped and uncapped) players from India and 218 from the other countries.
A number of new faces with the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shubham Gill, Jofra Archer, D’Arcy Short etc. have been included in the list.
But, on the other hand, there are certain names who were least expected to be included in the forthcoming IPL auctions scheduled to be held on January 27 and 28 in Bangalore.
Take a look:
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1. Paul Valthaty – Rs 20 lakhs
Yes. you read it right. It’s Paul Valthaty who played for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and made the headlines in IPL 2011. He is back in the ring and is available for the auctions. He scored a magnificent hundred against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He scored 120 unbeaten off just 63 balls which remains the 8th highest IPL score ever. His base price is Rs 20 lakhs.
2. Shreevats Goswami – Rs 20 lakhs
For those who are unfamiliar with this name, here’s what you need to know. Goswami was a part of the Indian U19 squad which won the world cup in 2008 under the leadership of Virat Kohli. This wicketkeeper from Bengal is also a skilled athlete. He represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first three seasons of IPL. In the 4th and 5th edition, he played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) respectively. After a long gap, he is back in the auction pool with a base price of Rs 20 lakhs.
3. Pravin Tambe – Rs 20 lakhs
Tambe is one of the eldest uncapped cricketers in the pool who has never played first-class cricket before getting into this cash-rich tournament. Tambe was the lead spinner of the Rajasthan Royal franchise. In 2014, he picked up a hattrick against the Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2017, he was last bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad and now released for the auction. His base price has been fixed at Rs 2o lakhs.
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4. Munaf Patel – Rs 50 lakhs
The veteran Indian speedster has taken 125 international wickets in 86 matches played for India across all formats. He was also the part of 2011 World Cup winning Indian squad and had played for Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians (MI) and was a part of Gujarat Lions in 2017. The 34-year-old bowler is back in the auctions and carries a base price of Rs 50 lakhs.
5. Praveen Kumar – Rs 50 lakhs
Kumar is another Indian veteran pace bowler who has enough experience playing in this cash-rich tournament. In the last 10 years, he has represented 5 IPL franchise including RCB, KXIP, MI, SRH and now released from GL. With 112 international wickets in 6 Tests, 68 ODIs and 10 T20Is along with 90 IPL scalps, Praveen will go under the hammer at the mega auctions once again. He has a base price of Rs 50 Lakhs
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With Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals back in the competition, it will be an exciting affair to watch which player is picked by which camp. The mega event – IPL 2018, starts from April 4.
