Aussies ruled the roost at the IPL 2020 auction as Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile got great deals.
Cummins, who is the World No. 1 Test bowler, was the hot topic of discussion. After a 3-way bidding war he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 15.5 crore. This makes him the most expensive foreign buy in IPL history.
On the other hand, all-rounder Coulter-Nile too fetched big bucks as he was bought by the defending champions Mumbai Indians for Rs 8 crore.
While Cummins broke the record held by Ben Stokes-- who was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant for Rs 14.5 crore in the 2017 auction -- Coulter-Nile was awarded for his all-round performance for the Kangaroos in the limited-overs cricket.
Glenn Maxwell (base price - 2 crores) too hit the jackpot in the first two sets of the IPL 2020 auction as the Australian all-rounder was sold for a big sum od Rs 10.75 crores. With Kings XI Punjab outbidding Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in a fierce battle, Maxwell will now be seen in the Punjab jersey in the 2020 edition. The 31-year-old did not feature in 2019 IPL but will be seen in action next year.
South Africa's all-rounder Chris Morris also made headlines as he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a whopping amount of Rs 10 crore.
West Indian left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell was also among big gainers as he was bought by KXIP for a big amount of Rs 8.5 crore.
It was also a big payday for seasoned campaigner Piyush Chawla, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping Rs 6.75 crore. This also helped the 30-year-old became the most expensive Indian buy of the day.
Jaydev Unadkat was once again bought by Rajasthan Royals but this time for a lesser price of Rs 3 crore.
Sam Curran, who played for Kings XI in last season, went to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 5.50 crore and was also their lone buy in the first hour of the bidding process.
England limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan (base price - Rs 1.5 crore) was another big gainer as the left-hander was sold for 5.25 crores to the Kolkata Knight Riders. The World Cup winning captain (50-over format) invited the bidding war between Delhi Capitls and KKR. The Shahrukh Khan co-owned franchise eventually won the battle with DC backing out at 4.8 crores.
Australia's big-hitting all-rounder Chris Lynn was bought for his base price of Rs 2 crore by defending champions Mumbai Indians, while seasoned Robin Uthappa was bagged by inaugural edition winners Rajasthan Royals for Rs 3 crores.
In the wicket-keepers' category, Alex Carey was the lone stumper, who was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.4 crore. Mushfiqur Rahim, Naman Ojha, Kusal Perera and Shai Hope went unsold.
Aaron Finch (base price - 1.5 crores) was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 4.40 crores.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Stuart Binny, Yusuf Pathan, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Zampa and Hanuma Vihari were unsold in the initial bidding process.
Dale Steyn was also a big name that was not part of any franchise plan for the 2020 IPL.