When South African all-rounder Chris Morris was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 players’ auction, not many expected Morris to match the 10 crore salary-mark.
However, when his name popped up in the bidding process held last month, Morris created history and broke all previous records by becoming the most expensive buy in the cash-rich league’s history. The Proteas star was roped in by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a whopping INR 16.25 crore. In that procedure, Morris broke Yuvraj Singh’s record, who had joined Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 16 crore in 2015.
Apart from the Royals, Morris attracted bids from Punjab Kings (PBKS), Mumbai Indians (MI) and RCB. Interestingly, RCB were ready to spend INR 9.75 crore on him but backed out once his price touched the 10 crore-mark. In the end, RR made the winning bid and included Morris in their squad.
But what exactly went through RR’s think tank, which decided to spend that much amount on Morris? Well, in a conversation with Times of India, Jake Lush McCrum, the COO of Royals, gave the reason behind investing a big amount in the South African all-rounder.
“Chris Morris is someone we have always had on our radar, and we knew there would be heavy competition from the other teams for him. Thankfully Punjab Kings stopped bidding when they did; otherwise, we would have lost him,” said Jake.
Jake mentioned that Morris brings the kind of skills they look for in a quality all-rounder. The RR COO opined that the 33-year-old would provide depth in RR’s bowling unit, especially with Jofra Archer’s presence.
“Chris brings in a very specific set of skills that we were looking for. He is extremely experienced and will add to our bowling depth, especially at the death alongside the likes of Jofra Archer and Kartik Tyagi. Down the order with the bat, he can win you matches too, with his powerful hitting,” added Jake.
Morris has so far scored 551 runs and taken 80 wickets in 70 IPL games.