The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 Auction got over on a successful note in Jaipur on Tuesday.There were 351 players up for grabs with teams looking to fill the gaps after the IPL trade window last month. 70 slots were available across 8 teams and 60 got filled.
Two uncapped Indian players ran riot in the IPL 2019 auction. Here is all about Shivam Dube and Varun Chakravarthy. Dube was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs 5 crore.
The medium pace all-rounder will look to define himself for Virat Kohli’s side after earning reputation in Ranji Trophy.
On the other hand, the player who raked in the joint-highest moolah was mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.
The Tamil Nadu player, who thrived in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2018 season, was roped in by the franchise for a staggering Rs. 8.40 crore. Since the evening, the two players have ruled the social media sites and there is plenty of excitement all around regarding these uncapped duos.
Shivam Dube (RCB)
Shivam Dube was born on June 26, 1993. The 25-year-old all-rounder from Mumbai has played junior cricket for his state before making it to the senior side.
Dube is a right-arm bowler and a left-handed batsman. He has the physical prowess and commanding nature to go strong.
The big change for Dube came over the last one year. He earned his reputation in the last one year with some big hitting exploits in the Mumbai T20 league. That didn’t end just there. Dube cracked up his performance in the ongoing domestic season for Mumbai.
One aspect that helped him create the wave in the auction was when he hit Pravin Tambe for 5 sixes in an over in the Mumbai T20 league. And then he replicated the same feat in a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda’s Swapnil Singh on Monday.
After guiding his school – Hansraj Morarji – to victory in the U-14 Giles Shield, the player had to miss five years of age-group cricket due to personal reasons.
Dube made a return for the U-23 side and from there on,, he never looked back. He played a key role in Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Trophy win this year. In just 6 first-class matches, Dube has already smashed 567 runs, with two tons and four fifties. He had also picked 22 wickets.
He has played 13 T20 matches.
Sunil Gavaskar is a fan of the player. His prowess in Ranji trophy impressed the legend, who had predicted that teams will go heavy on Dube.
“One player who will definitely be on the radar of the scouts of the franchises, as well as the national selectors, is Shivam Dubey. Not since Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly has a left-hander hit the ball so cleanly and powerfully in Indian cricket,” he stated in Mid-day.
What will he add for RCB?
Dube will bring instability in RCB middle order and can be that finisher needed to sort the middle order woes.
Varun Chakaravarthy (KXIP)
Varun became the costliest uncapped Indian in the auction. This was massive for Varun, whose base price was a mere Rs 20 Lakh. Varun was bought 42 times of his base price. The mystery spinner had an excellent campaign in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) earlier in 2018.
He created a storm after a tremendous show for Madurai Panthers. Many batsmen failed to read his variations and often ended up losing their wickets.Varun managed to create enough penetration to run through opposition teams. His heroics were noticed and KXIP paid a big sum for him.
This shows that teams had a strategy for the player, with Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders bidding as well.
Varun Chakaravarthy in action in the TNPL. (Image: Twitter @TimesNow)KXIP had the most salary cap available and that turned well for them.
As per reports, Varun started his career as a wicket-keeper batsman, at the age of 13. He then shifted his focus and became a pace bowler, playing tennis ball competitions.
He changed his plan to become a spinner. Varun is believed to have around 7 variations under his kitty.
Interestingly, Varun had stopped playing cricket in college. He took a course in architecture in Chennai and also worked for a private firm. Meanwhile, the player was seen bowling at the nets for Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 11.
He had trials with Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2019 auction. The spinner was the top wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (22). This term the 27-year-old made his Ranji Trophy debut.
What will he add for KXIP?
Varun will add depth to the KXIP spin department. They have R Ashwin and Mujeeb Ur Rahman as premier options. It remains to be seen where does Varun fit in to keep the balance afloat.