IPL 2021 Auction: Glenn Maxwell goes to RCB for Rs 14.25 cr

Australian swashbuckling batsman Glenn Maxwell on Thursday was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing mini-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

It started with fierce bidding between KKR and RCB. The Virat Kohli led-RCB, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all showed interest in the Australian batsman and in the end, Maxwell was picked up by RCB for Rs 14.25 crore. Earlier, Maxwell was released by Punjab Kings (formerly KXIP) ahead of the mini-auction.

Meanwhile, Australia batsman Steve Smith was picked by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.2 crore. Karun Nair who had his base price as Rs 50 lakh did not find any takers and he went unsold quite early in the auction. England batters Alex Hales and Jason Roy who had their base price as Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2 crore respectively also did not find any takers and also went unsold.

West Indies batsman Evin Lewis and Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch also went unsold in the auction. India middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari also did not find any takers as set 1 in the auction came to an end.

The IPL "mini-auction" this year is witnessing 291 players going under the hammer as England pacer Mark Wood withdrew from the auction at the end moment.

All these cricketers have been shortlisted by the eight franchises. A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and 3 players from associate nations are up for grabs in the mini-auction.

Earlier, RCB decided to retain 12 members of their IPL 2020 squad and the likes of Aaron Finch and Moeen Ali were released from the squad. The likes of Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers, and Yuzvendra Chahal will be seen for RCB this season. While, key performers of last season like Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj were also retained.

Australia limited-overs skipper Finch and England all-rounder Moeen Ali along with South Africa's Chris Morris were shown the door.

RCB's retained players: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Mohammad Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Josh Philippe, Kane Richardson, Pawan Deshpande.

RCB had made it to the playoffs of the IPL 2020 season but the side had to face a loss in the Eliminator against SunRisers Hyderabad. The Virat Kohli-led side has not been able to win the IPL title even once, but the side has made it to the finals thrice.