K Gowtham’s parents cried tears of joy after he went big in IPL auction

Uncapped Karnataka off-spinner K Gowtham went from being a net bowler to a million-dollar player at the IPL auction on Friday. Krishnappa Gowtham was picked up by Chennai Super Kings for a mind-boggling Rs 9.25 crore, making him the most expensive uncapped Indian in IPL history. The deal made Gowtham’s parents and wife overwhelmed by tears of joy, reports PTI.

K Gowtham’s name sparked an intense bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Starting at a base price of Rs 20 lakh, the two teams took his bid up to Rs 7.5 lakh.

The bidding war also saw active participation from Kaviya Maran from the Sunrisers camp and Juhi Chawla’s daughter Jahnavi Mehta.

It was at this moment that Chennai Super Kings stepped into the fray. Gowtham was bought by CSK, his price surpassing that of Krunal Pandya’s then-record of Rs 8.8 crore by the Mumbai Indians in 2018 for an uncapped player.

“It was nerve-wracking, I was very anxious, watching on TV,” Gowtham told ESPNcricinfo.

“We’d just landed in Ahmedabad and I’d just switched on TV and my name came up. Emotions were changing every minute. Then, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya knocked on my door and gave me a big hug and they asked for a big treat.”

The 32-year-old off-spin all-rounder from Karnataka has modest IPL statistics. He has played just 24 matches in three seasons since 2018 and has scored 186 runs and taken 13 wickets.

But on a slow Chepauk track, Gowtham and Moeen Ali will be Dhoni’s preferred men during the middle overs. Add his ability to hit big, the Chennai crowd saw that, could be another incentive for the team to break the bank for him.

Gowtham’s parents and wife in Bengaluru were in tears when they came to know of the good news.

“My parents had tears, happy tears. They were all so happy for me,” Gowtham said.

“It’s hard to describe that feeling. It’s all just sinking in. Obviously this isn’t the first time I’ve been part of the auction but every time your name comes up, the kind of butterflies in your tummy is unimaginable.” Gowtham, an India A regular, will be playing under Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the CSK and he remembers queuing up with a few other uncapped players to get his bat signed by the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman after an IPL game three years ago.