It’s raining moolah at IPL, Ishan hits jackpot

NT Correspondent

Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar clinched the most eye-popping deals as India’s battle-hardened T20 exponents laughed their way to the bank on the opening day of IPL mega-auction where the franchises saved their highest bids for home-grown talent.

Kishan’s `15.25 crore winning bid from Mumbai Indians pipped the `14-crore figure that CSK offered to retain Deepak Chahar on Saturday. Franchises showed prudence in overall spending but didn’t hesitate to loosen the purse strings for proven performers, especially Indians.

Young pacer Prasidh Krishna (`10 crore) was paid big by Rajasthan Royals for his timely Man of the Series performance against the West Indies. While RCB got their opening issues and captaincy sorted with a `7 crore bid for Faf Du Plessis, Lucknow Supergiants claimed Quinton de Kock for `6.75 crore. Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga joined Royal Challengers Bangalore for `10.75 crore.