Kings XI Punjab splurged a whopping Rs 8.4 crore for little known mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy who became the joint costliest buy along with Rajasthan Royals' left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction so far.

Chakaravarthy, the Tamil Nadu leg spinner, was bought by the KXIP after an intense bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders. Earlier, inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals were engaged in an intense battle with Delhi Capitals and later on with Chennai Super Kings before getting back the services of paceman Unadkat, whom they released for the auction.