Pawan Negi

A slow left-arm spinner, Delhi's Pawan Negi, burst into recognition following a whopping Rs 8.5 crores deal with the Delhi Daredevils during the auctions ahead of the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL). The deal came about after a slew of impressive performances for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the preceding tournament. This wasn't his first stint with the Daredevils, he had previously featured for them in the 2012 and 2013 tournament before switching allegiance to the MS Dhoni led CSK.

As it happens, big deals brings in the pressure to perform in an extraordinary manner and that eventually leads to disappointment. Negi failed to live up to expectations and a below par season led to the franchise letting him go ahead of the next auction in 2017. He was then brought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 1 crore. As luck would have it, he turned out to be a more than useful buy, finishing as the top wicket-taker, with 16 from 12 matches. The encouraging returns meant that the franchise had no second thoughts when they used their 'Right to Match' card while retaining him for the 2018 edition of the tournament.

The left-arm spinner has featured in a handful of first-class and List-A games, but it was in the shortest format of the game that he really prospered. While left-arm spin remains his primary domain, he is a handy batsman as well, capable of sending a few over the ropes - as he regularly did for CSK, during the 2015 edition of the IPL. His ability was noticed and he went on to play a solitary Twenty20 match for India - against United Arab Emirates (UAE), during the 2016 Asia Cup.