Indian T20 League: Top 5 steal buys in the history of the league

Indian T20 League has been one of the biggest T20 tournaments in the world. Every year players from all around the globe visit India to represent their respective franchises or teams. Currently, all teams are preparing for the next edition in 2023. All teams have already submitted their retained and released players’ names to the Board.

However, franchises go all out of their purse to buy top players. But, sometimes, there were some instances where they invested very less amount money. But, those players came up with huge performances for them. Fans also became surprised after seeing such performances from such players. 

Here are the top five steal buys in the history of the Indian T20 League:

Devon Conway, 1 Crore, Chennai

Devon Conway (Image Source: Twitter)

This Kiwi left-handed batter got his first opportunity to play in the Indian T20 League in 2022. Chennai franchise bought him for 1 Crore rupees. In the last season, Chennai finished in the ninth position in the table with just four wins out of 14. But, Conway had a good season as he scored 252 runs in seven matches, at an average of 42.

He also batted at a strike rate of 145.66. His highest score 87 runs off 49 balls came in the clash against the Delhi franchise. His inning was crucial as Chennai scored 208 runs for six wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Delhi bundled out 117 runs in 17.4 overs while Chennai won the match by a huge margin of 91 runs.     

Andre Russell, 60 Lakh, Kolkata 

Andre Russell (Image Source: Twitter)

The Kolkata franchise bought this star allrounder from West Indies in the 2014 Indian T20 League edition. His destructive ability with both the bat and the ball was enough to convince this franchise to consider him. Kolkata bought him for only 60 Lakh rupees and he is still repaying them with some top performances. As of now, he has played 98 matches in this tournament.

He has taken 89 wickets with the ball while Russell has scored 2035 runs at an average of 30.37. His match-finishing and six-hitting abilities have made him different from all other all-rounders. The 2019 edition was the best one for this all-rounder as he scored 510 runs in 14 matches, at an average of 56.66. He also batted at a staggering strike rate of 204.81. On the other hand, he also took 11 wickets in 14 matches with the ball.       

Venkatesh Iyer, 20 Lakh, Kolkata

Venkatesh Iyer (Image Source: Twitter)

This southpaw batter came as a surprise for the Kolkata franchise in 2021. Venkatesh Iyer impressed everyone when he got the opportunity to open the innings. The Kolkata franchise bought him for just 20 Lakh rupees. In that season, he played 10 matches and scored 370 runs at an average of 41.11.

This performance was enough for him to get a chance on the Indian team. However after that, due to both injury setbacks and lack of form, Venkatesh Iyer got out of the contention of the Indian team recently. Meanwhile, he did not have a great season last year as he scored only 182 runs in 12 matches. Still, Kolkata retained him and showed faith in this batter ahead of the next season.    

Pravin Tambe, 10 Lakh, Rajasthan

Pravin Tambe (Image Source: Twitter)

This veteran Indian spinner was a revolution when he came into the picture of this Indian T20 League. In 2013, the Rajasthan franchise bought him for just 10 Lakh rupees. However, he had a very decent opening season. Pravin Tambe took only one wicket in three matches, at an economy of 8.00.

But, 2014 was a breakthrough season for him as Tambe picked up 15 wickets in 13 matches, at an economy of 7.26. However, after that, he also represented Gujarat, Hyderabad, and Kolkata franchises respectively. So, it was a great opportunity for Tambe while he also come up with some top performances, especially for the Rajasthan franchise.  

Paul Valthaty, 20 Lakh, Punjab 

Paul Valthaty (Image Source: Twitter)

This right-handed batter made headlines when he had a great season with the bat in the 2011 Indian T20 League. Punjab franchise bought him for 20 Lakh rupees and he repaid them with his performances. In 14 matches, Paul Valthaty scored 463 runs at an average of 35.61. However, in the next two seasons, he failed to score big and his participation in this league got faded away. 

He was a  part of the India Under-19 World Cup team in 2002. Valthaty scored 120 runs while playing for Punjab against Chennai in April 2011. It was the highest individual score that season and every cricket fan were surprised after seeing such an effort from this batter.