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Karun Nair, Murugan Ashwin react to IPL 2016 prices

Karun Nair and Murugan Ashwin, two uncapped cricketers who became millionaires overnight, spoke about their surreal experience post the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 player auction.

Karun Nair © IANS
Karun Nair has been good for RR © IANS

Karun Nair and Murugan Ashwin, two uncapped cricketers who became millionaires overnight, spoke about their surreal experience post the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 player auction. Nair, who played for the currently banned Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise, went for a massive INR 4 crore to Delhi Daredevils (DD), while the completely unheralded Ashwin went even better and was bought for INR 4.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS). Nair was bought by RR for INR 75 lakh at the last auction, a far cry lower than the INR 4.5 crore he got this time around. As for Ashwin, this was his first time in an IPL auction. COMPLETE COVERAGE IPL 2016 AUCTION: LIVE BLOG & UPDATES OF IPL 9 AUCTION

As reported by Cricinfo, Nair said, “Obviously, my heart is still pounding. Many people have been mocking me [saying] I was going to go for this much or that much. When people keep telling you it sort of gets to your head, so I stopped thinking about it. I didn’t expect so much. I was only hoping to get what I got at Rajasthan Royals last year. That was the bare minimum I expected.”

Ashwin, who had gone for the tryouts for Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, “I expected to be picked but not this price. I got picked by a team that I didn’t go for trials. I was really nervous because my name came at the end and the purse was getting diminished. I sat in the same place with my dad from the morning [out of superstition]. I got excited even when I was bid for at the base price. I was happy at that time that some team had opted for me. I was not too keen on the money, but just wanted to play for an IPL franchise and gain experience. My wife, who was at her cousin’s place, was in tears when she heard the news. [Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015-16] before the IPL is a very big boost. It’s a great opportunity to come into the limelight. I saw it as a life-changing, life-altering tournament.”

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