IPL auction: Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube's maiden Rs 5 crore hit

Mumbai's Shivam Dube plays a shot against Baroda during a Ranji Trophy match at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. Pic/PTI

Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube admitted to being under tremendous pressure yesterday as the Indian Premier League auction for Season 12 was underway in Jaipur. Dube did not expect to be bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a near-unbelievable Rs 5 crore. "It was a huge pressure situation for me when the bidding was on. I did not expect to be bought for such a huge amount," Dube told mid-day yesterday. When asked how much of a difference his five sixes off Baroda left-arm spinner Swapneel Singh made, Dube said: "Those five sixes made a big difference in today's IPL auction." The left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer is excited to play alongside RCB captain Virat Kohli. "I am proud to play under a legend of the game," Dube added.

Rs 8.4 cr deal for Varun
Unheralded Varun Chakravarthy yesterday fetched Rs 8.4 crore, more than 40 times his base price of Rs 20 lakh Chakravarthy went to the Kings XI Punjab. KXIP also spent big on England all-rounder Sam Curran, buying him for Rs 7.2 crore. Medium pacer Jaydev Unadkat became a millionaire once again with a R8.4 crore bid from Rajasthan Royals but the spotlight was firmly on Chakravarthy, 27, a mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu who gave up a career as freelance architect to pursue cricket. "We always knew that we will break the wall for him," said KXIP CEO Satish Menon.

Sarfaraz goes to KXIP
Chakravarthy has risen to prominence owing to a strong showing in the TN Premier League. He played for Madurai Panthers, who won the title this year. KXIP also bought Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan for Rs 25 lakh.

With inputs from agencies

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