2017 IPL auction: Gowtham an asset to Mumbai Indians, says Akash Ambani

BENGALURU: England's Ben Stokes was the highlight of the Indian Premier League player auction in Bengaluru on Sunday. After an intense bidding war involving Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Rising Pune Super Giants bagged the deal for a whopping Rs 14.5 crore.
Having lost out on the bid after stretching their purse up to Rs 10 crore from a base price of Rs 2 crore, Mumbai Indians' owner Akash Ambani said they came into the auction with right strategies.
"When you enter an auction you leave disappointment outside the room. There were options for us but we aren't disappointed. We always had backup strategies. We knew what type of players we needed in our squad," he said.
Explaining the reason behind splurging Rs 2 crore on off-spinner K Gowtham, Akash said the Karnataka cricketer would be an asset to the team: "K Gowtham has been in and round for a while. He can be a 'pinchy'. More than anything we were looking for leaders and he will be an asset on the field. He knows what he can do with the ball but more than that he's a leader.
On buying leg-spinner Karn Sharma for, Akash said: "We needed leg spinner in our squad. We identify player types and we don't really look at the name. We just picked up what we wanted."
Meanwhile, co-owner Nita Ambani added that the team placed emphasis on youngsters. "We have always backed youngsters. We're very happy to get these boys (Karn and Gowtham) on board. That has been our core strength for a very long time," she said.