The IPL is about to enter the business end of the season. Here are the top value-for-money signings in the league so far.
Digvesh Rathi (INR 0.3 crore – Lucknow Super Giants)
Matches: 9 | 9 wickets @ 29.1, ER 7.3
When LSG secured the winning bid at base price for mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi, owner Sanjiv Goenka pounded his fist on the table, beaming. No other team had bid for him, and not many on the outside expected him to start for the franchise. The connection with LSG was evident though, given he'd played the Delhi Premier League alongside Ayush Badoni, who was retained by the franchise.
Read more: Who is Digvesh Rathi, the LSG spinner making his IPL debut after two professional games?
Rathi started the season with 2-31 against Delhi Capitals, and picked up at least one wicket in each of his first seven matches. Perhaps even more impressive though, is the fact that he has kept a lid on the scoring rate every time he's played. His 1-40 against SRH was the only spell this season which went over nine runs an over.
Vipraj Nigam (INR 0.5 crore – Delhi Capitals)
Matches: 8 | 7 wickets @ 29.0, ER 9.2 | 54 runs @ 18.0, SR 207.7
Another Delhi Premier League 'graduate', Nigam was also not expected to slot straight into his side's starting XI. But come opening day, there he was – and he certainly made an impact.
He picked up the wicket of Aiden Markram, although was expensive in his two overs with the ball. But coming out at 113-6 with DC in pursuit of 210, he smashed a superb 39 off 15 balls to set them on the path to victory. Since then, Nigam has gone on to dismiss both Pandya brothers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – not bad for a debut season.
Also read: Who is Vipraj Nigam, DC's 20-year-old big-hitting leg-spinner who idolises Rashid Khan?
As a leg-spinning all-rounder, Nigam fits into a rare category (he is also an excellent fielder). Still only 20 years old, DC may have hit upon a player who can represent the franchise for a decade or even more.
R Sai Kishore (INR 2.0 crore – Gujarat Titans)
Matches: 8 | 12 wickets @ 16.3, ER 8.2
Perpetually underrated, Sai Kishore spent two full season on the bench at Chennai Super Kings before playing five times for Gujarat Titans in 2022. He didn't play in 2023, and played just five more times in 2024.
At the auction, Sai Kishore fetched a bid of INR 0.9 crore from Punjab Kings, before GT used their right-to-match card to sign him for 2 crore. This season, he has delivered spectacularly. Sai Kishore outbowled a bonafide great in Rashid Khan in the early part of the campaign, and as the Afghan star begins to find his stride, their partnership has been devastating.
Sai Kishore is joint-third on the wicket-taking charts at the time of writing, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Noor Ahmad.
Aiden Markram (INR 2.0 crore – Lucknow Super Giants)
Matches: 9 | 326 runs @ 36.2, SR 150.9 | 4 wickets @ 22.0, ER 8.8
After a solid season in 2022, Markram's form dipped in the next two years for SRH, and so it was little suprise when he only went for base price this time around. He seems to have rediscovered himself with LSG, though.
The 30-year-old has formed a devastating opening partnership with Mitchell Marsh, and looks well-suited to a Lucknow wicket that isn't always the easiest to bat on. He has scored four fifties so far, with one more knock of 47 – not to mention his part-time off spin has been quite handy as well.
Priyansh Arya (INR 3.8 crore – Punjab Kings)
Matches: 8 | 254 runs @ 31.8, SR 201.6
Normally, INR 3.8 crore is a hair-raising amount for a franchise to shell out for an uncapped player. But even taking that into account, it is fair to say Arya has not only exceeded expectations, but provided solid value for the price on its own.
After eight matches, he is Punjab's second-highest run-scorer behind skipper Shreyas Iyer (for whom the franchise paid 26.75 crore). Arya has been instrumental in getting PBKS off to quick starts – 47 (23) and 36 (13) just a couple of his contributions so far. Of course, the standout innings was when he went on to make it big with a stunning 39-ball century against CSK.
Like DC with Vipraj Nigam, Punjab may also have found someone not just for this auction cycle, but much longer.
Honourable mentions
- Mitchell Marsh (INR 3.4 crore - LSG) – 344 runs @ 43.0, SR 160.7
- Devdutt Padikkal (INR 2.0 crore - RCB) – 230 runs @ 32.9, SR 156.5
- Aniket Verma (INR 0.3 crore - SRH) – 171 runs @ 28.5, SR 172.7
- Harshit Rana (INR 4.0 crore - KKR) – 11 wickets @ 22.5, ER 9.2
- Tim David (INR 3.0 crore - RCB) – 165 runs @ 82.5, SR 187.5
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