HYDERABAD: Newly-crowned Indian T20 vice-captain Thakur Tilak Varma emerged as the costliest buy after Medak Falcons shelled out Rs 33 lakh, 55% of their total purse, in the players auction of the inaugural TG20 league here on Sunday.The elegant left-hander, whose name was the third name to come up in the Icon Player’s category, triggered an intense bidding battle between Medal Falcons and Palamuru Strikers. With a base price of Rs 5 lakh, he went on to attract 6.6 times and 560% increase over his starting price. Tilak represents five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a retention salary of Rs 8 crore.However, Tilak’s availability is not certain for the inaugural league as he is set to lead India A in the Tri-nation one-day series in Dambulla, which will begin on June 9 and culminate on June 21 and will be part of the Indian team that will tour Ireland and England for the T20 series. The Ireland series is set to begin on June 26.Meanwhile, the Medak Falcons also bought another icon player T Ravi Teja for Rs 12 lakh, spending a total of Rs 45 lakh on two players from a purse of Rs 60 lakh.
Top buys in TG20 auction
Left-arm fast bowler CV Milind emerged as the second costliest buy with Rs 17 lakh, three lakh more than Indian cricketer Mohammed Siraj. Anvita Khammam Aces team bought the former Hyderabad Ranji Trophy captain. Siraj’s drop in price could be because his name was the last in the Icon Player’s category.“I didn’t expect to be sold for such a price. I am very happy. But I am happier that we got a league and it’s happening on a big scale. Looking at the way the auctions happened, the quality of the tournament will be great. That is more exciting for me. I am also happy that I get to work with the support staff who I’ve been with in the past. The squad also looks very balanced, I am very excited for the tournament,” said Milind.Former Hyderabad Ranji Trophy cricketer M Ravi Kiran also attracted a handsome price of Rs 13 lakh, fourth highest bid, when he was bought by Palamuru Strikers.The fast bowler, who last played for Hyderabad in the season 2019-20 and shifted his base to Chhattisgarh, is delighted with the bid. “I was not expecting to get such a big price tag given that it has been a long time since I played for Hyderabad. It was very exciting to be playing in the inaugural league,” Ravi Kiran said.Upcoming players P Aman Rao, who was part of the IPL team Rajasthan Royals, also joined the big league with a price tag of Rs 12 lakh when Warangal Warriors bought the attacking opening batter. He was part of the A+ category with a base price of Rs 4 lakh.Other Icon players like Tanay Thyagarajann (Rs 11 lakh), Tanmay Agarwal (Rs 8 lakh), Rahul Buddhi (Rs 8 lakh), Rohit Rayudu (Rs 6.5 lakh) were bought in the auctions.The tournament begins on June 21 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
