 "IPL 2019 auction: Yuvi unsold in 1st round, West Indians pocket big moolah")
Out of favour India batsman Yuvraj Singh went unsold, while West Indians Shimron Hetmyer and Carlos Brathwaite bagged hefty deals in the first round of bidding at the 2019 IPL players' auction here on Tuesday.
There were no takers for 37-year-old Yuvraj, who was a sought after player in the IPL for a long time and during his prime, attracted a Rs 160 million bid.
He entered into the auction with a base price of Rs 10 million and could still find a buyer later in the auction if he is among the unsold players brought back into the pool by the franchises.
Yuvraj going unsold was not particularly surprising as he endured a lean run in the 2018 edition after KXIP bought him at a base price of Rs 20 million before releasing him in November.
However, West Indies players were in demand with Royal Challengers Bangalore paying Rs 42 million for Hetmyer. Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals also bid for the stylish West Indian batsman, who had a base price of Rs 5 million.
His teammate Brathwaite, the star of 2016 World T20, was sold to KKR for Rs 50 million after a bidding war between the Dinesh Karthik-led side and Kings XI Punjab.
The all-rounder had entered the auction with a base price of Rs 7.5 milliion.
Indian Test player Hanuma Vihari was sold to Delhi Captials for Rs 20 million, four times his base price.
Another West Indian to get an attractive deal was wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran. The 23-year-old, who came with a base price of Rs 7.5 million, went for Rs 42 million to KXIP. He is a T20 find and is yet to play Test cricket
The high-profile unsold players were Cheteshwar Pujara, Brendon McCullum and Chris Woakes.