Day 2 of IPL auction 2018: Jaidev Unadkat becomes the costliest Indian player; Amla, Malinga go unsold

Day 2 of IPL auction 2018: Jaidev Unadkat becomes the costliest Indian player; Amla, Malinga go unsold Follow @merinews

29 January, 2018

On the second-day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2018, held in Bengaluru, franchisees over indulged in bidding for the death specialist bowlers like Jaydev Unadkat and Andrew Tye, who were eventually bought by the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab at a whopping price of Rs 11.5 crore and Rs 7.2 crore, respectively.

Saurashtra's left-arm seamer, Unadkat, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2017, has now become the most expensive Indian cricketer in this year's IPL edition while English all-rounder Ben Stokes remained as the costliest overseas player after conclusion of day 2 of the IPL 2018 auction.

Surprisingly, many big players were not picked by any franchisee at this year's auction including Hashim Amla, Lasith Malinga, Martin Guptill, Dale Steyn, Joe Root, Morne Morkel, Eoin Morgan, Corey Anderson and Shaun Marsh.

Interestingly, Jamaican star Chris Gayle, one of the most lethal batsmen in world cricket, was lucky in the third round after he was bought by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the base price of Rs 2 crore.

Before KXIP's bidding over Gayle, the player had remained unsold on day 1 of the auction. Eventually, he was bought by Punjab on the second day.

For the very first time in IPL's history, a Nepalese player will be a part of the league as Sandeep Lamichhane was picked by the Delhi Daredevils for Rs 20 lakh on the second day of the auction.

Leg-spinner Sandeep, came in the limelight by becoming second-highest wicket taker in U-19 World Cup tournament that was held in 2016.

Talking about the IPL auction, Rajiv Shukla, who holds the IPL's Chairmanship, said, "169 players were sold, of which 113 were Indians and 56 foreigners. Franchisees picked players from nine countries including Nepal and Afghanistan."

The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament will kick-off in Mumbai on April 7 and conclude on May 28, 2018.