'Woke up around midnight, didn't know how much ₹15 Cr is': Kyle Jamison after being picked up RCB in IPL 2021 auction

When Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) got Kyle Jamieson for ₹15 Cr in IPL 2021 auction, his thought revolved around converting the amount in New Zealand currency.

It was around 10:30 pm in Christchurch when the IPL auction 2021 began in Chennai on Thursday. By the time, Kyle Jamieson’s name came up, it was well past midnight. The 6’8” pacer, who generally doesn’t pay much heed to the IPL auctions, gave in to the excitement and picked up his phone to watch the proceedings.

Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand was picked up by RCB in IPL 2021 Auction(AP)

When Royal Challengers Bangalore finally got Jamieson for ₹15 cr by beating two other franchises Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, the first thought in Jamieson’s mind was not about being the most expensive Kiwi player ever in IPL auctions. Nor was it the excitement to be a part of the dressing room comprising Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. But his thought revolved around converting ₹15 crore in New Zealand currency.

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Jamieson had no idea how much ₹15 crore is worth in New Zealand Dollars. Perhaps he still doesn’t but the tall Kiwi pacer is sure to be one of the most anticipated players of this IPL.

"I woke up around midnight and decided to check the phone. Rather than trying to avoid the situation, (I thought) I'll sit back and enjoy it. It was certainly a weird hour and a half waiting for my name to be called up," Jamieson was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.

"I had a message from Shane Bond (former New Zealand pacer and Mumbai Indians bowling coach) as it was going and he said, 'How good is this'.

"I didn't actually know what the amount of money, how that translated to New Zealand dollars. It was quite cool to share that moment with him and ride that two or three minutes with him."

Former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson, RCB's director of cricket operations, led the charge to win the three-way bidding for Jamieson, who made his Test debut against India at home last year.

His retainer fee for the Black Caps, according to the report, is between USD 100,000 to USD 150,000, which makes RCB's winning bid amount 20 times more.

It completed a rapid rise for Jamieson, who is known for extracting awkward bounce. The right-arm quick, playing in the 2019 Super Smash, picked up 6 for 7 in four overs, a New Zealand T20 record, which have been bettered by only three men in the world.

He has so far played in six Tests, two ODIs and four T20Is. He took two five-wicket hauls in his first four Tests and has also shown a lot of competence with the bat as well.

Asked what would he buy if his New Zealand teammates asked for a treat, Jamieson said, "Probably a few coffees I would have thought.

"I don't know. It's only been a few hours. My bank account hasn't changed overnight, but there'll be a bit of stick given and a few coffees and a few beers I'm sure." Jamieson will join a star-studded RCB team, headlined by Indian captain Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who scooped ₹14.5 crore in the auction.

"I think it's such a special tournament, obviously the biggest franchise tournament around. There's so many cool experiences to be had over there and learning opportunities.

"That's the thing that excites me the most... being able to rub shoulders with these guys. It's such a unique situation for us as cricketers and to be able to do that is something pretty special."

(With PTI inputs)