The auction for the 2020 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is done and dusted. One name emerged from that auction and he is still a talking point. Pat Cummins was bought for a mind-boggling sum of INR 15.5 crore. In fact, he was on the verge of breaking Yuvraj Singh’s IPL auction record of INR 16 crores.

There were 61 other players bought as well which included 33 Indian players and 28 overseas players apart from Cummins. Most of those players don’t even come anywhere close to the price that the Aussie pacer earned. Batsmen or bowlers, the New South Wales fast bowler was spot on and has shown off some of his skills with the ball. Also, there are multiple players who can sum up to INR 15.5 crore with their respective amounts that they received in the IPL auction.

Thus, here is an XI from the players that were bought in the auction for 2020 season that was cheaper than Cummins’ 15.5 crores INR price:

(Note: The IPL rule of seven Indians and four overseas players has been followed)

1. Chris Lynn (Rs 2 crores)

It was surprising when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) decided to release Chris Lynn ahead of the auction this year. He has been one of their premier run-getters over the last few years. He had performed consistently and was explosive at the top of the order.

The Queensland lad had scored 1191 runs across the last three seasons. In fact, over the last two seasons (2018 and 2019), he had amassed 400+ runs and was KKR’s best batsman. Moreover, he had shown that he can adapt to different situations. Thus, it wasn’t an expected move from KKR.

However, it was even more surprising to see only Mumbai Indians (MI) bid for Lynn. No other team even showed interest in the Australian batsman and it was shocking that Lynn was bought for his base price of INR 2 crore. Hence, he is one of the steals of this IPL auction.

2. Jason Roy (Rs 1.5 crores)

Over the last few years, Jason Roy has built his reputation as a fierce striker of the cricket ball. He has a very good T20 record and has the ability to take the game away from the opposition in no time at the top of the order. He has been England’s premier white-ball opener for a while now.

Roy has aggregated 5000 T20 runs and has a strike-rate of 145.64. His T20 international numbers are similar as well. Hence, he is a proven performer and was bought by the Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of INR 1.5 crore. This will be Roy’s second stint with Delhi.

The England opener made his IPL debut with the Gujarat Lions in 2017 but played only three games. He was bought by Delhi in the 2018 edition in which he featured in five games. He scored 120 runs which included a match-winning 91 against Mumbai Indians (MI).

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal (2.4 crores)

Yashasvi Jaiswal is one of the most common names in Indian domestic circuit these days. He is an Under-19 cricketer who has already taken giant strides in domestic cricket. The left-handed batsman has already started piling up the runs in List ‘A’ cricket.

While he is scoring a consistently for India Under-19, Jaiswal has scored already scored big for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He showed he has the appetite for big runs as he amassed 564 runs which included three tons and a fifty in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Thus, he was bound to go significantly big in the auction this time around and it went as per expectation.

Despite having a base price of INR 20 lakhs, the teenage sensation from Mumbai pouched INR 2.4 crore. Rajasthan Royals (RR) went after him and successfully availed his services for the 2020 season.

4. Robin Uthappa (3 crores)

Robin Uthappa’s stocks have dipped over the last few years. He was a key member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) line-up. However, a significant dip in form has resulted in his axing. He’s scored 351 and 282 runs in the last couple of seasons but he has struggled quite a bit.

He has moved his base to Kerala as well for domestic cricket. Uthappa has blown hot and cold this season but seems to be regaining some of his lost form. Thus, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a price of INR 3 crore.

His low returns and struggle last year affected his price in the auction this year. The Karnataka-born batsman may prefer to bat at the top but has the ability to bat anywhere. Uthappa can be effective and is a good Indian option.

5. Rahul Tripathi (60 lakh)

Back in the 2017 IPL season, Rahul Tripathi was one of the cornerstones for Rising Pune Supergiant’s success. The Maharashtra cricketer had scored 391 runs which came at a strike-rate of 146.44. In 2018 and 2019, he was a part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) set-up.

He played 20 games for the Royals and largely batted in the middle order. He was inconsistent and good in parts. But he is a good fielder and can adapt to any batting position. Across the last two seasons, Tripathi has scored 367 runs for RR.

This year, he was back in the auction pool and he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a sum of INR 60 lakhs. He can bat in the middle and is worth his price which is just three times his base price of INR 20 lakhs.

6. James Neesham (50 lakh)

All James Neesham has played in the IPL is four games. All of those came in 2014 when the New Zealand all-rounder was a part of the Delhi Capitals (then, Daredevils) squad. He didn’t have the best of times as he scored just 42 runs in three games. With the ball, he bowled nine overs and picked up a wicket.

However, Neesham has got a second chance. The Kiwi all-rounder was bought by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for his base price of INR 50 lakhs. Neesham is in top form as well. He can contribute with both bat and ball and is a game-changer. He adds depth to the KXIP side and Neesham is one of the most underrated and unnoticed all-rounders around the world.

7. Deepak Hooda (50 lakh)

Deepak Hooda is one of those cricketers who has come up the ranks through Under-19 cricket. He was a part of India’s Under-19 World Cup team for the 2014 mega event. In fact, Hooda did well too as he was India’s second-highest run-scorer with 235 runs at an average of 78.33.

Moreover, he made an impact straight away in the IPL. He donned the finisher’s role in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) side in the 2015 season. But with RR not a part of the IPL till 2018, Hooda moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing since then.

While he does have a good T20 career strike-rate of 135.20, his IPL record barring that 2015 season isn’t great. However, Hooda has the ability to tonk the ball a long way. Moreover, he is excellent in the field and can don the finisher’s role.

8. Isuru Udana (50 lakh)

He may not be well known or a popular figure in Sri Lankan cricket but Isuru Udana is one that is a utility cricketer. He can tonk a few, he is effective with the ball and is a good fielder as well. Udana can have an impact in all three departments and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were lacking some depth.

Udana has been in some good form as well. He picked up 10 wickets in as many games and was fairly economical. The left-arm pacer has quite a few variations and they are pretty handy ones as well. He can bowl a good yorker and has a couple of slower deliveries up his sleeve as well.

Udana might go for a few runs but he picks up wickets and is a partnership breaker. He can be destructive with the bat towards the fag end of the innings. Thus, Udana at INR 50 lakhs is a very good buy for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

9. Mohit Sharma (50 lakh)

A few years ago, Mohit Sharma was one of MS Dhoni’s go-to men in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side. For three years he was a part of CSK before he moved to Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in 2016. In fact, for five successive years (2013-2017), Mohit was played every game of every season.

The right-arm pacer picked up 57 wickets for CSK in this time and 26 wickets for KXIP across two seasons. But Mohit’s form has dipped and he has picked up just eight wickets in 2018 and 2019. He was even dropped from the team and fell off the radar.

Mohit was almost going to go unsold this year after his lacklustre show. However, Delhi Capitals bought him and he could well their reserve fast bowler.

10. Jaydev Unadkat (3 crores)

For three seasons in a row, the script has been the same for Jaydev Unadkat. He is bought at a high price by Rajasthan Royals (RR) before they decide to let him go. In the next season, they tried again and was bought by RR. The champions from the inaugural season also went and bought him this time around.

Each season, the prices have reduced and this year, Unadkat was bought for INR 3 crore. His poor returns (21 wickets from 26 games for RR) has led to his constant axing. However, Unadkat has gone back to domestic cricket and has been doing well.

In both of the domestic white-ball formats in India, Unadkat was his team, Saurashtra’s premier pacer. He was leading the wicket charts for them as well. Be it T20 or 50-overs, the left-armer has done well and looks in good rhythm as well.

11. R Sai Kishore (20 lakh)

In the world of wrist spinners, left-arm orthodox (a finger spinner) rarely rules the roast. However, R Sai Kishore did that and has been excellent in this Indian domestic season. He’s had a fantastic time in white-ball cricket and has been Tamil Nadu’s weapon.

There was absolutely no doubt that Kishore is going to be picked in the auction this time. He has picked up 20 wickets at an average of 10.40 and an economy of 4.63. Also, it was no surprise that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went bought him at his base price of INR 20 lakhs considering how much they love playing around with spinners.