Young Indian wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan became this year's most expensive buy as he returned to Mumbai Indians for a whopping Rs 15.25 crore during IPL 2022 auction Day 1 in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The 23-year-old southpaw, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, went to his former team after a fierce bidding war between MI and Sunrisers Hyderabad with initial interests from Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.
Ishan's advent into the national team over the last one year is all down to his fine display with Mumbai Indians in the last two seasons.
The very fact that he decided to ignore a lucrative offer from Gujarat Titans and take part in the auction, only shows the confidence of the young man, who knows he is going to be richer by a few more crores on IPL's mega payday.
Kishan's natural talent grabbed eyeballs from quite an early age, especially after the 2016 U-19 World Cup, where India finished runners-up with him being the deputy in command. This was inspirational in the now-defunct Gujarat Lions Rs 35 lakh purchase of the Jharkhand batter, who amassed 319 runs over 16 games for the side.
2018 onwards, the young batter moved to Mumbai Indians, who battled hard with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore to land him for a whopping Rs 6.20 crore from a base price of Rs 40 lakh.
His performance, however, the next two season didn't yield a return matching his price tag but was decent enough for MI to have faith in him. Statistically speaking, Kishan amassed 552 runs in 25 games at an average of 25.31.
2019 edition saw a dip in his performance as he scored just 101 runs in seven games while his consistency came in question and the dreams of playing for India drifted away.
However, the diminutive figure came back strong the COVID-hit season with his highest score of 99 early in the league stages. During the course of the title-winning season, Kishan didn't just solidify a spot in the playing XI but amassed 516 runs, including four half-centuries.
2021 didn't go as per plan for him and his team as Kishan scored just 241 runs in 10 games while his highest score of 84 came late in the league stage while he struggled to score runs. The innings, however, was crucial in finding him a place in the World Cup squad.
