2016's Million-dollar-buy Negi drops price ahead of IPL 2018 auction

New Delhi, Jan 20 - A couple of years back all-rounder Pawan Negi turned into an overnight sensation when he fetched a mind-boggling deal of Rs 8.5 crore, making him the most expensive uncapped buy in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).

Before Delhi Daredevils could realise their blunder of buying the left-arm spinner for such a huge price, the IPL got over with the all-rounder finishing the competition with just 57 runs and one wicket from eight matches.

Not surprisingly, he was released by DD at the end of the season and he was back in the auction pool in 2017, when Negi was surprisingly picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 1 crore.

At the start of IPL 2017, most experts looked at Negi and saw a cricketer who crumbled under the pressure of the huge price tag.

The 24-year-old, however, responded to the faith shown in him by picking 13 wickets in 11 matches before being thrown to the auction pool once again.

With the 2018 auction set to be held in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28, Negi seems to have finally come to terms with reality and has set his base price at Rs 50 lakh in the list, which was released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday.

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IANS