The Indian Premier League 2020 runners-up Delhi Capitals made a mark at the IPL 2021 auction when they bought Australia's Steve Smith for just ₹2.2 crore. Smith, who led Rajasthan Royals in the previous season, was released earlier this year. He will now play for DC in the upcoming season.
"It was just incredible to get Steve Smith. We are shocked about how he went only for ₹2.2 crore, but to get a player of the calibre of Steve Smith, it's going to add a lot to our squad, a lot to our balance. His leadership, his batting, his experience, everything.
IPL 2021 Auction: Full list of players sold and unsold
"Everyone associated with Delhi is just thrilled. We discussed Smith's name before the auction and we thought that he would go for much higher, so we had thought that if an opportunity arises, we will go for him, but we never anticipated actually getting him," DC co-owner Parth Jain said in a press release.
Apart from Smith, DC also bought England speedster Tom Curran for ₹5.25 crore, who was their most expensive buy at the auction. DC also spent money on Sam Billings and Umesh Yadav, buying the two players at their base prices of ₹2 crore, and 1 crore, respectively.
Here is how Delhi Capitals squad shape up after the auction:
Delhi Capitals squad:
Players retained: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Lalit Yadav, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams
Players bought: Tom Curran (5.25 crore), Steven Smith (2.2 crore), Sam Billings (2 crore), Umesh Yadav (1 crore), Ripal Patel (20 lakh), Vishnu Vinod (20 lakh), Lukman Meriwala (20 lakh), M Siddharth (20 lakh)