At Monday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction in Jeddah, the Delhi Capitals (DC) signed South African veteran Faf Du Plessis, while the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) purchased West Indies power hitter Rovman Powell for Rs 1.5 crores.
After playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPG), where he also won titles with the Yellow Army, the 40-year-old joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as a captain in 2022.
In 45 games for RCB, he amassed 1,636 runs at an average of 38.04, 15 half-centuries, and a strike rate of over 147. He is well-known in the T20 circuit with 10.950 runs in 393 matches, including six hundreds and 76 fifties.
Powell, a West Indies batter, was also bought by the reigning champs, adding strength to their already potent power-hitting team. He has amassed 1,679 runs at an average of 25.83 and a strike rate of 140.97 in 88 Twenty20 Internationals for the West Indies, including seven fifties and a century. Powell amassed 360 runs for DC and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 27 games at an average of 18.94, including a fifty and a strike rate of more than 147.
It was shocking to learn that New Zealand celebrities Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson did not sell at the auction. In international cricket, Williamson has amassed 18,266 runs and 45 tonnes, including 2,575 runs in 93 Twenty20 Internationals with 18 fifties. Williamson has scored 2,128 runs in 79 games during his IPL career, including 18 fifties. During his tenure, he also won an Orange Cap with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2018 after scoring 735 runs.
Phillips is a versatile player who excels at both bat and ball. He is also a good fielder and wicketkeeper-batter. He is a talented player with 3,262 runs and 49 wickets in 125 games. He has played eight IPL games during his career, making few appearances for RR and SRH.
Additionally, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, and Mayank Agarawal, three talented Indians, were not sold. Mayank has amassed 2,661 runs at an average of 22.74 in 127 IPL games, including a century, 13 fifties, and a top score of 106. He began playing for RCB in 2011–2013. He scored 433 runs, including a fifty, in 29 games for the Red and Gold team. His greatest years were with the Punjab Kings from 2018–22, where he scored 1,513 runs in 60 games, including a century and nine fifties, following stints with the Delhi Capitals and Rising Pune Supergiant. He was purchased by SRH in 2023 for Rs 8.25 crores.
Throughout his career, Rahane has also played for a number of teams, including the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and RR. He experienced a renaissance with CSK during the past two years. He struck at 148 and amassed 568 runs in 23 innings with two fifties in 27 games for CSK. He has amassed 4,642 runs at an average of 30.14 in 185 games, including two hundreds and 30 fifties.
Shaw has amassed 1,892 runs at an average of 23.95 and a strike rate of over 147 in 79 IPL games, including 14 fifties. Since making his IPL debut in 2018, he has been a member of the Delhi Capitals (DC). (ANI)