IPL Auction 2018: From Ben Stokes to Chris Gayle, hope and despair mark Day 1
Online Desk
This year's auction features 578 players in all with 361 of them being Indians. IN PIC: Akash Ambani walks in to the venue. (EPS | Pushkar V)Harbhajan Singh was one of the first to be picked up as Chennai Super Kings roped him for just his base price of Rs 2 crore. IN PIC: CSK coach Stephen Fleming addresses the media as IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla looks on. (EPS | Pushkar V)There hasn't been an IPL auction of this magnitude since the inception year of 2008 where so many premier Indian stars were up for grabs. IN PIC: Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani arrives to attend the IPL auction. (EPS | Pushkar V)One of the biggest catches of the day came for Kings XI Punjab when Preity Zinta's team picked up experienced former Chennai Super Kings spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for Rs 7.6 crores. IN PIC: Preity Zinta addresses the media about Kings XI Punjab during the IPL Auction. (EPS | Pushkar V)West Indian swashbuckler Chris Gayle, who has represented Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challenger Bangalore, surprisingly went unsold despite his well-established T20 batting credentials. IN PIC: Royal Challengers Bengaluru chairman Amrit Thomas, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming during the IPL Auction. (EPS | Pushkar V)On a day dominated by intense bidding for Indians, Manish Pandey was one of the top buys as he went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 11 crores. IN PIC: VVS Laxman addresses the media about Sunrisers Hyderabad’s team. (EPS | Pushkar V)Exciting bids and surprising drops marked Day 1. The action from the IPL auctions 2018 will continue tomorrow. IN PIC: Kings XI Punjab co-owner Priety Zinta, IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla, BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary and Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman during a press conference at the side line of the IPL auction. (PTI)
