ipl-2021-auction-live-updates-updated-squad

That is it from us, then! It was SOME auction, we've got to say. It was heartwarming to see a lot of domestic journeymen, including Jalaj Saxena and Lukman Meriwala, get IPL contracts, and equally, it was mind-boggling to see the amount of cash sides were willing to burn on some of the overseas talent. We could say that it's justified since this is the final auction before the mega auction next year and if these signings do end up making the IPL more competitive, then who are we to crib about the cash that's shelled out? Hah.

That's it for SportsCafe's live blog for the IPL 2021 auction, then. This is Anirudh signing off on behalf of Bastab, Aakash and Harshit.

But do stay glued to SportsCafe, we have a couple of REALLY spicy review articles coming up.  Good night

TENDULKAR FINISHES IT OFF IN STYLE!

And that brings an end to the auction and what a day it was! Pacers are laughing their way to the bank while Chris Morris, a utility player, has ended up breaking all the records in the IPL with a 16.25 cr bid.

If you think Pat Cummins was overpriced, then think of Kyle Jamieson, who RCB picked for 15 crore. Maxwell was a happy man once again and now joins forces with his favourite, AB de Villiers.

Kedar Jadhav and Harbhajan Singh, who were released by CSK, found takers in SRK and KKR respectively and so did Piyush Chawla, who Mumbai Indians purchased rather cheaply. 

The auction, surprisingly, ended in just over 5 hours, but it was one of a kind and it has served as the perfect prelude for what promises to be the most competitive IPL season in years. 

AND MUMBAI INDIANS HAVE BID FOR ARJUN TENDULKAR!

AND ARJUN TENDULKAR OFFICIALLY HAS AN IPL CONTRACT! HE IS A MUMBAI INDIANS PLAYER!

Royals have him at 20 Lakhs. He was a part of the side last year as well.

Will he have any takers?

YES. KKR BID FOR HIM!

AND NEGI GOES TO KKR FOR 50 LAKH!

KKR bid for Iyer at 20 LAKHS. SOLD

1.00 crore is his base price, but no luck for the hero of SCG. HE REMAINS UNSOLD!

Harbhajan Singh joins KKR for 2 crore🔥🔥#IPL2021 #IPLAuction #IPLAuctions2021 pic.twitter.com/AHYCOeX6dz

— SportsCafe (@IndiaSportscafe) February 18, 2021

RCB - 3 slots (no overseas)

RR - 2 slots (no overseas)

Mumbai - 1 slot (1 overseas)

KKR - 2 slots

Kedar Jadhav sold to SRH at 2 crore🔥🔥🔥#IPL2021 #IPLAuction #IPLAuctions2021 pic.twitter.com/jFqfSp9vzQ

— SportsCafe (@IndiaSportscafe) February 18, 2021

SRH, Punjab, Chennai and Delhi have all filled all slots. "You all can go home" says the auctioneer. Bantz. 

The Dorff is back. 1.00 crore is what he's asking. 

And the Dorff is UNSOLD!

Chirag Singh has a base price of 50 Lakhs! and UNSOLD.

NO BIDDERS. HE REMAINS UNSOLD!

KKR MAKE THE FIRST BID WITH 75 LAKHS. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE AN OVERSEAS SLOT LEFT.

SEEMS LIKE THEIR BID IS REVERSED. 

NO WAIT

SOME CONFUSION THERE.

THEY HAVE ONE.

AND THEY HAVE BOUGHT CUTTING FOR 75 LAKHS.

But no luck. He goes unsold. AGAIN!

Anderson has a BP of 75 Lakhs.

UNSOLD!

20 lakh it is.

But he has no takers! Iyer remains UNSOLD!

20 BP. SURELY NOT ASKING FOR MUCH!

UNSOLD!

CSK BID FOR HARI NISHANT!

AND THEY BUY HIM FOR 20 LAKH!

KKR MAKES THE FIRST BID FOR BHAJJI!

SOLD TO KKR FOR 2 CR!

1.50 crore. AND SUNRISERS BID FOR HIM!

AND MUJEEB JOINS HIS TEAMMATE RASHID KHAN AT HYDERABAD!

2 Cr base price for Billings.

DC bids for Billings - his former team SOLD at the base price.

Nominated again. Can he get a bid?

YES. SUNRISERS BID FOR THE FORMER CSK STAR!

AND SRH COUP JADHAV FOR 2.00 CRORE! SMART BUY!

The first bid of the day returns again.

Base price of 50 Lakhs.

KKR bid for the former Punjab guy.

SOLD TO KKR FOR 50 LAKHS.

PUNJAB BID FOR THE INDIAN NET BOWLER!

AND THEY BUY HIM FOR 20 LAKH!

20 Lakhs demands Pratyush but no one is kind! UNSOLD!

20 lakh and Mumbai Indians BID FOR THE YOUNG PROTEAS STAR!

AND MUMBAI BUY JANSEN FOR 20 LAKH!

The Hurricanes guy has a base price of 20 Lakhs. UNSOLD.

🚨 आला रे 🚨

James Neesham 🇳🇿
💰: ₹ 50 Lakhs #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #IPLAuction

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 18, 2021

20 lakh is what the young Proteas star is asking.

Bad luck, no one is willing to pay. HE REMAINS UNSOLD!

No bid for Harsh. UNSOLD.

He hit a ton versus India two months ago, can he get a bid?

Nope. The Brisbane Heat star remains UNSOLD at 50 lakh!

THE BOY ATTRACTS A BID OF 20 LAKHS FROM CSK! SOLD!

When you get a certain "Shahrukh Khan" in your side 😉😉 @PunjabKingsIPL @Vivo_India #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/z4te9w2EIZ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 18, 2021

20 lakh for the 21-year-old but he remains UNSOLD!

Mumbai bid for Charak at the base price. MUMBAI INDIANS GET HIM AT HIS BASE PRICE.

20 lakh is the base price for the 26-year-old. 

No one seems interested and he remains UNSOLD!

50 base price for Proteas quick but he goes unsold.

50 lakh for the former RCB star!

Sadly, he cannot attract a single bid. Udana remains UNSOLD!

Green has a base price of 30 Lakhs. But will that help?

NO BIDDERS YET FOR FORMER KKR SPINNER. UNSOLD

50 lakh for the lanky left-armer from England!

NO LUCK. TOPLEY REMAINS UNSOLD!

50 Lakh base price for the former Proteas quick. But unsold, it seems like.

YES, UNSOLD.

50 lakh for the Banterman.

And MUMBAI INDIANS HAVE BID FOR NEESHAM!

AND NEESHAM IS OFFICIALLY A MUMBAI PLAYER!

50 Lakhs BP for former CSK man. Will he get a bid?

UNSOLD

Royals have bid for the 'not Kuldeep' Yadav. He's a pacer, mind you.

AND THEY BUY HIM FOR 20 LAKH!

BP of 20 but no takers here. UNSOLD.

CSK bid for the 22-year-old pacer.

AND CSK BUY HARISANKAR REDDY FOR 20 LAKH!

The Australian wicket-keeper. Can he get a bid? NO. UNSOLD AGAIN

20 lakh for the Indian wicket-keeper

Not a renowned T20 cricketer but RCB HAVE BID FOR HIM! WOW! THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE!

BHARAT SOLD TO RCB FOR 20 LAKH

Base price of 20 Lakhs. But can he get a bid?

YES, RCB GOES FOR HIM, 20 LAKHS, SOLD TO RCB

20 lakh is the base price for the 26-year-old.

No Mankading in IPL 2021 then? UNSOLD

Base price of 20 Lakhs. UNSOLD.

Can the former KKR man get a bid? 20 lakh is what he's asking

Nein. UNSOLD AGAIN!

At 50 Lakhs, will he be sold?

NAH, UNSOLD

1.00 crore is the base price for the explosive Hobart opener!

Well he mauled India, but that's not enough to get him an IPL contract. WADE REMAINS UNSOLD!

BP of 50 Lakhs at the moment.

UNSOLD!

Can the Lankan veteran attract a bid? 50 lakh is his base price.

No luck. UNSOLD 

The Base price of 75 Lakhs.

Liam Livingstone attracts first bid from his former franchise Rajasthan Royals

Can the veteran attract a bid? 75 lakh is the base price.

YES HE CAN! KKR OPEN THE BIDDING!

RCB ENTER THE RACE!

The price has gone beyond 1 crore now. RCB and KKR are fighting it out for the experienced all-rounder.

RCB think they have him at 2.00 crore, but nope, KKR fire back. It's nearing the 3.00 crore territory right now. 

RCB have the bid at 3.20 crore, but KKR are not giving up on Christian - yet. 

CHRISTIAN IS FETCHING SOME BIG BUCKS HERE! 4.20 CRORE AND KKR HAVE THE BID!

A proper tussle, this. RCB have the edge now, at 4.40 crore. 

Zzzzzzzzz. No movement for a whole minute and BOOOM, it's gone to 4.80 crore out of nowhere. RCB have the bid right now. 

KKR HAVE PULLED OUT AND RCB HAVE SIGNED DAN CHRISTIAN FOR 4.80 CRORE!

Allen has bid from Punjab. BP OF 75 Lakhs,. SOLD TO PUNJAB

The TN Pacer has a base price of 20 lakh

Sadly, no luck for the unorthodox pacer. UNSOLD!

The Aussie has a BP of 30 Lakhs. UNSOLD

The H.P pacer has a base price of 20 lakhs!

AND KKR BID FOR THE YOUNGSTER WHO MAULED TN

AND KKR BUY VAIBHAV FOR 20 LAKH!

The Karnataka man has a bp of 20 Lakhs, UNSOLD THOUGH,..

20 lakh is the base price for the all-rounder and Punjab bid yet again. 

And PUNJAB BUY UTKARSH SINGH!

Karan a base price of 20 Lakhs

SEEMS LIKE NO BID. UNSOLD.

30 lakhs for the Kerala man!

KINGS XI PUNJAB MAKE A BID!

AND SAXENA HAS AN IPL SIDE! A heartwarming moment, this. Well deserved for the journeyman!

Tigthen your seat belt, folks!

WITH THAT, IT WILL BE TEA. FROM HERE ON, THE PROCESS WILL BE ACCELERATED. A well deserved break, we should say.

Well, Jamieson was the star of this session. We expected him to go big but 15.00 crore? Oh, get out of here! 

Anyway, back in 45 minutes. Trust us, the next couple of hours are going to be tedious as heck. 

The Afghan pacer has a base price of 50 Lakhs.

Very promising but goes UNSOLD IN the AUCTION. THIS IS THE IPL AUCTION. VERY CRUEL INDEED!

Has a base price of 1 Cr, but will anyone bid?

UNSOLD. SUPRISING

He has a base price of 50 Lakhs. No bids. UNSOLD.

The Aussie has a base price of 1 Crore and no one seems intrested. HE REMAINS UNSOLD!

DC released him last time and it will be a miracle to get a bid!

Sadly, no luck for the Indian pacer. UNSOLD!

Doesn't seem like a bid! UNSOLD at 50 lakh!

UNSOLD WITH A BASE PRICE OF 50 Lakhs!

He impressed with SRH years ago and he has a base price of 1.00 crore!

And yes, RCB CHIP IN WITH THE FIRST BID!

AND PUNJAB ENTER THE BIDDING WAR!

So, they fought for Jamieson and Punjab and Bangalore are back at it again. This time for Henriques, though. 

We are already in the 2.00 crore territory and Punjab have the upperhand. 

2.40 crore and the bid is currently with RCB. Punjab are hesitating now.

Yes, the hesitation is gone. 2.80..3.00. And Punjab have the bid - but not for long. RCB strike back. Again, the two franchises are exchanging blows back and forth. It's up to 3.60 now. 

3.80 crore now AND BANGALORE HAVE PULLED OUT!

NO THEY HAVE NOT. THEY MAKE A 11th HOUR BID OF 4.00 CRORE!

But Punjab are keen on getting the New South Welshman.

THEY BID 4.20 CRORE AND BUY THE ALL-ROUNDER!

1.00 crore is the base price for MARNUSSSSS!

No bidders for the eccentric Queenslander and he remains unsold!

50 lakh for the former RCB and KXIP man. 

No bids and it is understandable. Gurkeerat remains unsold!

Kyle Jamieson will join RCB for a whopping amount of INR 15 Cr. ⚡️⚡️⚡️#IPL2021 #IPLAuction #IPLAuctions2021 pic.twitter.com/p1NcKvdvRv

— SportsCafe (@IndiaSportscafe) February 18, 2021

Will the former RR man get any bids? 1.50 crore it is!

DELHI BID FOR THE SENIOR CURRAN!

AND SRH ENTER THE FRAY NOW. It's a two-horse race between SRH and Delhi currently. Up to 2.20 crore now.

SRH look keen to pocket Curran after agonizingly missing out on K Gowtham. Completely different players but hey, who cares. It's fun nevertheless.

Anyway, we are up to 4.00 crore now. 

Delhi have the bid at 4.40 crore. SRH have it back at 4.60 crore. 

5.25 CRORE AND DELHI HAVE PURCHASED THE ELDER CURRAN!

75 lakh for the IPL 2016 MOTM!

No bids, unfortunately. He remains unsold!

YES! 75 lakh. This should blow up!

AND RCB MAKE THE FIRST MOVE! INTERESTING!

DELHI ENTER THE FRAY. THE TWO FRANCHISES ARE GOING HEAD TO HEAD NOW! Expect this to go the distance! 1.00 crore done already!

1.50..1.60...1.70...1.80.................................................3.00 CRORE ALREADY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!! MAKE THAT 4.50 CRORE! GOOD LORD!

6.00 CRORE AND RCB HAVE THE BID CURRENTLY!

6.75 AND DELHI ARE NOT BACKING OUT! JEEEEEEZ! MAKE THAT 7.25. THIS IS MAD!

RCB have it at 7.50 crore. BUT IN COME PUNJAB KINGS! 

Of course. They have so much money left. Why would they NOT go for Jamieson? Makes all the sense in the world.

And we are at 9.25 crore folks. This is bonkers. 

RCB have it at 9.25 and PUNJAB HAVE PULLED OUT! BUT NO. THEY HAVE CHANGED THEIR MIND! PUNJAB BACK IN!

10.25 CRORE AND THE END DOESN'T SEEM NEAR!

11.00 CRORE and we have yet another pacer who is fetching a ridiculous amount of money. Good day to be a pacer, I suppose.

11.75 crore and it is with Punjab.

RCB STRIKE BACK WITH 12.00 CRORE! THIS IS NOT ENDING!

12.50 AND RCB HAVE THE BID. But Punjab strike back. 12.75 for the newly-named franchise. 

13.00 crore and there is STILL NO END TO IT. 13.25...13.50...13.75. The two franchises are exchanging blows back and forth.

Make it 14.25 crore and the bid is with Punjab

14.75. JEEEEEZ!  

15.00 CRORE TERRITORY, OFFICIALLY!

Punjab can go for it, easily. Jamieson can become the costliest buy in IPL history.

BUT PUNJAB PULL OUT AND RCB COUP JAMIESON FOR 15.00 CRORE. 

Can the former RCB man attract any bids? 50 lakh is the base price!

Nope. No bids. UNSOLD!

Watch out for Jamieson, fellas!

Guptill, the former SRH man, has a base price of 50 Lakhs.

UNSOLD

Someone buy him please?

CSK with the bid. WOW. THIS IS BRILLIANT.

WHAT A DAY, FINALLY! PUJARA SOLD TO CSK.

The Saffer is next and he has a base price of 50 Lakhs.

AND HE IS UNSOLD.

With 75 Lakhs base price.

JUNIOR BRAVO REMAINS UNSOLD!

The Kiwi man has a base price of 50 Lakhs. Can he find a taker?

NO LUCK. UNSOLD

75 Lakhs base price.

NOT SO MUCH LUCK I GUESS. UNSOLD ONCE AGAIN, 

The Grand old man of IPL. AT 1.5 BP. Will he find a taker?

NO. UNSOLD.

50 Lakhs base price.

UNSOLD

Alright then. Some really, really interesting purchases in the last one hour. It was heart-warming to see good domestic performers in the form of Meriwala, SRK, Sakariya and Vinod getting rewarded. The show-stealer, though, was undoubtedly Riley Meredith, who probably can call it a day right now and swim in cash for the rest of his life.

Anyway, back in 10 minutes. 

20 lakh again for the young Delhi spinner!

No interest and the Delhi lad REMAINS UNSOLD!

20 lakh for the Karnataka spinner!

Hard to see any bids coming, to be honest.

Nope. No bids. UNSOLD!