Dubai, Dec 19 (FN Agency) Nomenclatured as the right-handed Suresh Raina, an uncapped India player Sameer Rizvi became the new IPL millionaire after MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought him for Rs 8.40 crore. His base price was Rs 20 lakh.CSK and Gujarata Titans were engaged in the bidding war before Delhi Capitals joined in. DC pulled out at Rs 7.6 crore, and CSK had the last laugh. Earlier, several former cricketers including Aakash Chopra, Abhinav Mukund, and Suresh Raina had bet on Rizvi taking home a lot of money at the auction. Rizvi, a resident of Meerut, made headlines by smashing two centuries in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League, where he accumulated 455 runs in 9 innings for Kanpur Superstars.
The 20 years old UP lad also impressed at Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with his power-hitting stuff earlier this season. Rizvi smoked 18 sixes at an average of a six every 11 balls he faced. The right-hander also left indelible mark in the Men’s U23 Stat A tournament, smacking two tons and as many half-centuries, including a 50-ball 84 in the final to lead UP to vctory. A total of 333 players are going under the hammer in Dubai during the 2024 IPL auction, of which 214 are Indians and 119 are overseas cricketers. However, the 10 teams together have only a maximum of 77 slots open, with each team allowed a roster of a maximum of 25 players. 23 players registered their base price at the maximum of Rs 2 crore with another 13 slotting themselves in the Rs 1.5 crore base price.