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Initially, there seemed to be no bidders, but CSK showed interest in Pujara and snapped him at his base price of Rs 50 lakh. However, Hanuma Vihari was not lucky like Pujara as he again went unsold
Cheteshwar Pujara
Shah Rukh Khan bought
There was a ‘Veer Zara’ moment during the IPL players auction on Thursday when Bollywood star Preity Zinta bought Shah Rukh Khan. However, it is not the superstar actor but rookie Tamil Nadu off-spinner, who was successfully bid by Zinta’s co-owned team Punjab Kings for a whopping Rs 5.25 crore. Shah Rukh’s base price was R20 lakh. Zinta spoke to King Khan’s son Aryan after buying SRK’s namesake. “I have not spoken to Shah Rukh as yet, but I had a chat with Aryan though. We were happy to buy him,” she said in the media conference.
Fast bowlers in demand
South African Chris Morris became the costliest IPL player ever when Rajasthan Royals bought him for Rs 16.25 crore. New Zealander Kyle Jamieson was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 15 crore—the fourth-most expensive buy in IPL history.
Punjab Kings got Australian quicks Jhye Richardson (Rs 14 crore) and Riley Meredith (Rs 8 crore).
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who is Director of Operations for Mumbai Indians, was obviously delighted with fast bowlers in demand. “It’s very exciting. Over 12 years of the IPL, we’ve seen that the franchises have taken note of and we’ve seen the rise in demand and the competition in the auction room. When that time comes, we all look at each other and nobody is willing to back down. An exciting time for bowling all-rounders and bowlers all around,” he said.
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