Pat Cummins returns to Kolkata Knight Riders
62 players were brought on Thursday at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 auction in Kolkata with exactly 144.30 crores being spent among the 29 overseas and 33 Indians, however, it was the Australian cricketers who left with hefty contracts. Pacer Pat Cummins left Kolkata with record INR 15.50 crores while compatriot Glenn Maxwell, who will be returning to IPL after a break from last season, bagged INR 10.75 crore. Nathan Coulter-Nile is the other Australian on the top-five list while the other two big earners from IPL 2020 auction are Chris Morris and Sheldon Cottrell.
1. Pat Cummins - Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 15.50 crores: Cummins emerges as the most expensive overseas player in Indian Premier League auction history having surpassed the previous record of Ben Stokes in the auction for 2017 IPL season. He was roped in for INR 15.50 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders after an intense battle in Kolkata on Thursday that witnessed almost five franchises battling for the Aussie. Cummins last played IPL in 2017 for Delhi Capitals, where he bagged 15 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 8.70.
2. Glenn Maxwell - Kings XI Punjab for INR 10.75 crores: Glenn Maxwell will make a return to the Indian Premier League in the 2020 season with Kings XI Punjab - the franchise he represented between 2014 and 2017 in the league. The Australian all-rounder recently announced his return to cricket after taking a mental health break in October. Maxwell, who had a base price of Rs. 2 crore, was sold for Rs. 10.75 crore.
3. Chris Morris - Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10 crores: A bidding war between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore saw Morris' final price rise to Rs. 10 crores at the auction, as the RCB now boast of a quality all-rounder alongside England's Moeen Ali. Morris had been impressive for Delhi Capitals during his stint with the franchise as a bowling all-rounder, taking 13 wickets in 9 games during the 2019 season of the league.
4. Sheldon Cottrell - Kings XI Punjab for INR 8.5 crores: West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell was roped in by Kings XI Punjab for INR 8.50 crores. Cottrell had entered the bidding war at a base price of INR 50 lakhs. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals had ended the war before Delhi Capitals joined the war. In the end, Delhi owner Parth Jindal held his white flag leaving Punjab to welcome Cottrell for INR 8.5 crores. IPL 2020 will be Cottrell's debut season in the cash-rich league.
5. Nathan Coulter-Nile - Mumbai Indians for INR 8 crores: Australia's Nathan Coulter-Nile will witness a homecoming as defending champions Mumbai Indians roped him in for INR 8 crores. Coulter-Nile last played for Mumbai in his debut season back in 2013 when he had picked only one wicket in his only appearance that season. Overall, he has 36 wickets in 26 matches at 19.97 an average and economy rate of 7.66.
