IPL Auction 2021: K Gowtham becomes most expensive uncapped Indian player, goes to CSK

Gowtham is the second off-spinner bought by MS Dhoni-led side after England all-rounder Moeen Ali.

Uncapped spin all-rounder Krishna Gowtham had a moment to cherish on Thursday after he bagged a huge deal at the Indian Premier League players’ auction in Chennai. The Karnataka cricketer was bought for a record sum of ₹9.25 crore by the Chennai Super Kings for the upcoming season of the tournament.

Krishanppa Gowtham (Twitter)

Gowtham, whose base price was ₹20 lakh, has now become the most expensive uncapped buy in IPL history. The 32-year-old is currently with the Indian team as a net bowler for the ongoing Test series against England. He is the second off-spinner bought by MS Dhoni-led side after England all-rounder Moeen Ali.

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CSK found merit in his ability to spin the ball and come up with big shots when required. He has dismissed India skipper Virat Kohli too a couple of times with his off-spin. Gowtham has 1045 runs with one century from 42 First Class games apart from 166 wickets.

Australian Glenn Maxwell once again managed to attract a winning ₹14.25 crore bid from Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Punjab Kings, who went into the auction with the maximum purse among eight teams, paid ₹14 crore to rope in Australian pacer Jhye Richardson hoping he will plug the gap in their leaking bowling department.

Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan was lapped up by KKR for ₹3.2 crore. He missed the IPL last year as he was serving a ban for failing to report a corrupt approach.

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Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile also ended up with a good deal, fetching a ₹5 crore bid from Mumbai Indians. He had a base price of ₹1.5 crore.

Australian Steve Smith, who was released by Rajasthan Royals, was bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹2.20 crore, only ₹20 lakh more than his base price.