IPL player auction: ‘I went numb for a while,’ says Krishnappa Gowtham after CSK bought him for Rs 9.25 crore

Krishnappa Gowtham. Pic/AFP

The mini IPL auction witnessed quite a few record bids. One of them was Krishnappa Gowtham, who became the costliest Indian uncapped cricketer when Chennai Super Kings bought him for a staggering Rs 9.25 crore.

The Karnataka off-spin-bowling all-rounder surpassed Krunal Pandya, who was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 8.80 crore in the 2018 auction. Following the auction on TV from his hotel, where he is with the Indian team at Ahmedabad as a net bowler, Gowtham went numb looking at the fierce bidding for him. "I think I missed many heartbeats in that process. I went numb for a while. It is about the faith they have shown in me, which matters the most to me," Gowtham told mid-day.

Kolkata Knight Riders opened the bidding for the former Kings XI Punjab player. Sunrisers Hyderabad soon joined in to take the bid past Rs 5 crore. CSK was a late entrant and took it all the way from there.

Gowtham is hoping to take his game to the next level with CSK. "It is important to perform well in any given situation for the team. We all know about CSK. When you play for such a big team, it is just a blessing. It will help me take my game to the next level," he said.

On the mind-boggling price tag, Gowtham said: "I still haven't thought about it. After a month, I will decide what to do about it. I never expected this much money. It will only motivate me to do my best. Price tag is not something you will go out and show it."