Morris becomes most expensive buy in history of IPL auctions

South African all-rounder Chris Morris on Thursday etched his name into the annals of IPL history by becoming the costliest player at IPL auction after being bought at INR 16.25 crores by Rajasthan Royals.

Yuvraj Singh was the costliest ever buy in auction history before Morris as a former Indian all-rounder was bought by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 16 crore in IPL 2015. Morris has played 70 IPL matches for 80 wickets at an economy of 7.81, apart from 551 runs at a strike rate above 157.

Mumbai Indians joined the bidding war for South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris with Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Morris's base price was Rs 75 lakh and he went through an intense bidding war before being sold for Rs 16.25 crore.

Later, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals also joined the race to sign Morris as the bidding war crossed the 13 crore-mark for the South Africa all-rounder, who was released by RCB. Finally, Mumbai Indians gave up on the battle for Chris Morris as Rajasthan Royals make him the most expensive buy in the history of IPL auctions by roping in the all-rounder for a staggering Rs 16.25 crore.

Chris Morris was roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore at a whopping Rs 10 crore last year. However, he was released by the franchise after making just 9 appearances last season where he scored 34 runs and picked up 12 wickets.

A good hitter of the ball down the order and a prolific wicket-taker, Morris is the type of all-rounder any team would like to have in their ranks. However, his fitness issues might hamper his chances of fetching a big contract like last year.

Source: India Today