INR 14 crore IPL deal with Punjab Kings ‘life-changing’, states Jhye Richardson

With fast bowlers in demand, Jhye Richardson was always going to be a name in the IPL franchise’s radar after having finished as the highest wicket-taker in BBL 10, but not in his wildest of dreams would the Perth-based bowler have expected that he’d go for a whopping 14 crore. Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals all bid vigorously for the 24-year-old speedster and a mad 10 minutes of three-way bidding saw Richardson be snapped up by Punjab for a ludicrous 14 crore.

"I don't really remember too much about it. It's almost a blank, I was watching it but felt like I wasn't watching it. After everything that's happened you are obviously really excited then you hit this massive wall, it was pretty late, I had all this emotion, all the adrenaline, a load of messages coming through on my phone and then completely crashed and felt exhausted. I feel like I played a game, mentally exhausted myself. Still sinking in, that's for sure.

Thursday was not just a life-changing day for Richardson, but also for his Australia teammate Riley Meredith, who, at INR 8 crore, became the most expensive uncapped overseas player in the competition’s history. Like Richardson, Meredith too was snapped up by Punjab Kings, who pipped the Capitals to get hold of the 24-year-old tearaway from Hobart. Reflecting on the crazy chain of events, Meredith described the bidding war for him as ‘outrageous’ and admitted that he was left dumbfounded.

"I was trying to figure it out and tell him , it went up to a million, two million, unbelievable, and then mine rolled around and it was the same," Meredith said. "Same as Jhye, I probably only got a few hours sleep. I was on Facetime with my girlfriend and couldn't believe what was happening. Like it was fake to be honest, we were pretty dumbfounded.

However, more than viewing his IPL deal as a big pay-day, Meredith is keen to make the most of his opportunity. The Hobart Hurricanes speedster insisted he wants to grab the golden opportunity ahead of him with both hands and further added that he, like several other pacers, was lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

"I'm sure it will be a learning curve and hoping to grab it with both hands.There was a bit of talk before the auction about fast bowlers being in demand this year. It was a good time to not be allocated to a franchise. Bit of right place, right time."