Varun Chakravarthy aka C.V. Varun, a 'mystery spinner' and all-rounder from Tamil Nadu, bagged Rs. 8.4 crore in the IPL auction on Tuesday. Kings XI Punjab snapped up the uncapped player, who is a qualified architect.
READ: Mystery spinner Varun makes heads turn
"I am very happy and excited. I was nervous before the auction and did not expect to get picked beyond my base price." Varun was in his native place in Thanjavur watching it with his family and grandparents. "Everyone was watching it, and very happy."
"I am happy to be part of the side with R. Ashwin and I just hope to learn from the experience of playing in the IPL."
After a fierce bidding war, the bowler emerged as the most expensive player in this year's sell-off along with Indian left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, bagged by Rajasthan Royals for the same price.
Varun was a fourth division player until 2017. However, this year he made his Ranji Trophy debut against Hyderabad. In the nine List A matches that he has played, Varun has picked 22 wickets which includes a five-wicket haul.
The leg-spinner was also the second highest wicket-taker in the the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In a recent interview to a publication, the mystery spinner said that he has as many as seven variations. Varun can bowl offbreak, legbreak, googly, carrom ball, fipper, topspinner and a slider.
Road to Success
Chakravarthy began playing cricket when he was 13 but took up architecture after several rejections in age-group cricket.
He later returned to the game, honing his skills as a spinner able to bowl both off and leg breaks, with quite a few tricks under his hat.
After a stint with Jubilee Cricket Club in the fourth division, Varun's variations caught the attention of Chennai Super Kings, where he bowled in the nets.
After Chennai's home games were moved to Pune, it was Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik who extended support. Karthik along with KKR team analyst A.R. Srikkanth asked Varun to bowl in the nets. This is where the mystery spinner got a chance to meet West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and picked his brains.
Varun then implemented the lessons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2018 and helped Siechem Madurai Panthers lift the title for the maiden time. Such was his performance that he earned praise from former Australian batsman Mike Hussey.
Shivam Dube (Mumbai, Rs 20L Base Price. Sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 5 Cr.)
His straight sixes are as powerful as any international batsman's while his medium-pace has been handy in domestic cricket across formats. Mumbai's big-hitting all-rounder Shivam Dube attracted the attention of as many as four franchises during the ongoing IPL auction.
With a base price of INR 20 lakh, Dube was finally picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 5 Crore. Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Bangalore and Mumbai Indians placed its bids and Delhi backed out at 1.1 crore before Bangalore picked him for a whooping amount.
A day before the IPL auction, Dube smashed Swapnil Singh for five sixes in an over during Mumbbai's Ranji Trophy match against Baroda. The allrounder who has been in excellent form for Mumbai is currently the second-highest run-getter with 489 runs.
Dube also played a key role in Mumbai's Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign by helping his team win the title.
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