IPL 2024 Auction: Chris Woakes to play for Punjab Kings after fetching Rs 4.20 crore

Chris Woakes became the first England cricketer to be sold in the IPL 2024 Auction at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday. Woakes fetched Rs 4.20 crore from Punjab Kings.

Chris Woakes started with a base price of Rs 2 crore and did not generate a lot of interest before the bid closed at Rs 4.20 crore.

Chris Woakes is an old hand at the Indian Premier League. He has previously played for Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. An all-rounder of repute, Woakes does not have a great record with the bat in the IPL but he has picked 30 wickets from 21 matches at a strike-rate of 14.67.

The headlines from the opening bids were dominated by Rovman Powell, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals and Travis Head, who was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Defending champions Chennai Super Kings proceeded to buy Rachin Ravindra, who made a huge impact for New Zealand in the recently concluded 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Chris Woakes played in the IPL for the first time back in 2017 and made an impressive debut with 17 wickets. He returned to the IPL in 2018 for 8 wickets and then played only 3 matches three years later.

Chris Woakes, 34, has much better numbers in Tests and one-day internationals compared to T20 Internationals but the demand for all-rounders is always high in the Indian Premier League. Therefore, it was no surprise to see Woakes fetch that kind of price in the IPL 2024 Auction.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: Chris Woakes to play for Punjab Kings after fetching Rs 4.20 crore appeared first on Inside Sport India.