IPL 2021 auction: England's Dawid Malan picked by Punjab for Rs 1.5 cr

England batsman Dawid Malan, ranked No. 1 in ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings, was picked for Rs 1.5 crore by Punjab Kings in the IPL 2021 mini auction on Thursday.

Malan was touted to be the most sought-after player in IPL 2021 auction but drew bid only from Punjab. 

Punjab Kings bid aggressively for South African all-rounder Chris Morris but Rajasthan Royals took the lead with a whopping Rs 16.25 crore bid following which Punjab was quick to bid for Malan, who is currently at the pole position in the ratings for the shortest format.

The left-handed batsman has been performed consistently for Middlesex for more than a decade and quickly rose in stature at the national level.

The turning point in his career came in 2016 when he slammed an unbeaten 126-ball 185 against Sri Lanka A in Northampton. In 2017, Malan earned a spot in the national T20 team for the three-match series against South Africa and slammed 44-ball 78 on debut, for which he was named Man of the Match.

Malan continued his good form in the series against West Indies, scoring 154 runs, including two half-centuries.

Malan was selected for the Ashes series in 2017-18 and impressed with the bat, registering his maiden Test ton at the WACA in Perth and scored three fifties. He amassed 383 runs in nine innings averaging above 40.

The IPL 2021 mini auction is underway with some players already attracting big bids, including Chris Morris who was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore, minutes after Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was sold to RCB for 14.25 crore.