Hanuma Vihari one of the architect of India's 2-1 Test series triumph against Australia was snubbed by all 8 teams at yesterday's 2021 IPL auction in Chennai. Now, reacting on the snub, the Hyderabad batsman posted a sacrcastic 'Lol' on his Twitter handle. Vihari had a base price of Rs 1 crore going into the auction but went unsold when his name was announced for the first time. The batsman went unsold again when his name was called for one final time before closure of the event which saw Arjun Tendulkar get a bid of 20 lakhs by Mumbai. Vihari has featured in 74 T20s till date and scored 1,355 runs at a strike rate of 112.35 and average of 20.84. He had gone unsold during the IPL 2020 auction as well with a base price of 50 lakhs. Vihari, was earlier part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Delhi Capitals (DC), in the cash rich league.
Meanwhile, Pujara, who is a mainstay in Team India's Test squad, was bought by MS Dhoni & Co. at his base price of Rs 50 lakhs. Pujara last played in the IPL back 2014 for Kings XI Punjab. During 2014 season, he had opened the innings for the Punjab franchise alongside Virender Sehwag and failed to make an impact as he scored only 125 runs off the first six matches. After having had a dismal performance in the IPL 2020, CSK looked to strengthen their middle-order as they roped in Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham at the IPL 2021 auctions on Thursday. MS Dhoni & Co acquired former Rajasthan bowling all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham for Rs 9.25 crores on Thursday, making him the most expensive uncapped Indian player at the auctions. Meanwhile, England's all-rounder Moeen Ali, who put up his stellar batting and bowling skills on display in the second Test against India was acquired by the Men in Yellow for Rs 7 crores.
