IPL Auction 2016: Old Workhorses Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar Still in 'Wanted' List
Ashish Nehra was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 5.5 crore in the Indian Premier League 2016 auction, while India's forgotten swing bowler Praveen Kumar was snapped by Gujarat Lions for Rs 3.5 crore.
Few would have thought that Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar would receive big bids in the Indian Premier League 2016 auction, but that's what has happened. (IPL Auction 2016 Blog)
Nehra's death bowling expertise is something that India's Twenty20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni must have admired to hand him a berth in the World Twenty20 squad. (Live IPL Auction 2016: List of Players Sold and Unsold)
That obviously created interest among the franchises, which sparked a bidding war for the left-arm pacer. Starting at a base price for Rs 2 crore, Nehra was finally sold to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 5.5 crore.
However, they weren't the first bidders. An intense battle between Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab saw the bids come thick and fast but in the end, the Hyderabad franchise swooped in at the nick of time to get their man.
Another big surprise was Praveen Kumar - the forgotten swing bowler of India. Praveen has somewhat fallen of the radar, but that didn't stop the franchises to bid heavily for him.
His base price of Rs 50 lakh was not too high and that probably tempted the owners and staff to put in a bid for him. But it seemed Gujarat Lions had him on their wanted list and after a prolonged battle with Kolkata Knight Riders, finally got their man for a whopping Rs 3.5 crore.