Jeddah [Saudi Arabia]: South African veteran Faf Du Plessis was roped in by Delhi Capitals (DC) while West Indies power-hitter Rovman Powell was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 1.5 crores during the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction in Jeddah on Monday.
The 40-year-old was associated with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from 2022 onwards as a captain following stints with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPG), which also included title wins with the Yellow Army.
For RCB, he scored 1,636 runs in 45 matches at an average of 38.04, with 15 half-centuries and strike rate of almost 147. With 10.950 runs in 393 T20 matches with six centuries and 76 fifties, he is a big name in T20 circuit.
Also, West Indies hitter Powell went under the hammer, and was bought by the defending champions, giving their already strong power-hitting squad a boost. In 88 T20Is for West Indies, he has scored 1,679 runs at an average of 25.83 and a strike rate of 140.97, with a century and seven fifties. For DC and Rajasthan Royals (RR), Powell scored 360 runs in 27 matches at an average of 18.94, with a fifty and a strike rate of over 147.
In a shocker, New Zealand stars Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips were left unsold in the auction. Williamson has 18,266 runs in international cricket and 45 tons, including 2,575 runs in 93 T20Is with 18 fifties. In his IPL career, Williamson has made 2,128 runs in 79 matches with 18 fifties. His run also includes an Orange Cap winning 735 run season in 2018 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Phillips is a multi-faceted talent known for his fine performances with bat and ball and is also a fine fielder and wicketkeeper-batter. With 3,262 runs and 49 wickets in 125 matches, he is an exciting talent. He has made limited IPL appearances for RR and SRH, playing eight matches in his IPL career.
Also, among Indian talent Mayank Agarawal, Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw were left unsold.
In 127 IPL matches, Mayank has scored 2,661 runs at an average of 22.74, with a century and 13 fifties and best score of 106. He started with RCB from 2011-13. In 29 matches for the Red and Gold outfit, he made 433 runs with a fifty to his name. After tenures with Delhi Capitals and Rising Pune Supergiant, his best years came with Punjab Kings from 2018-22, scoring 1,513 runs with them in 60 matches with a century and nine fifties. In 2023, he was bought by SRH for Rs 8.25 crores.
Rahane has also played for several franchises in his career, including RR, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. Over last two years, he had a revival with CSK. In 27 matches for CSK, he scored 568 runs in 23 innings with two fifties, striking at 148. In 185 matches, he has scored 4,642 runs at an average of 30.14, with two centuries and 30 fifties.
In 79 IPL matches, Shaw has scored 1,892 runs at an average of 23.95 and a strike rate of over 147, with 14 fifties. He has played for Delhi Capitals (DC) since his IPL debut in 2018. (ANI)