NCB report says Aryan Khan was 'deliberately targeted', several irregularities in probe led to his arrest

The real battle between teams hasn't even started yet but the drama that went down at the IPL auction has pretty much set the mood for what's to come. The amount of cash that was laid out for players blew everyone away. As many as 57 players were sold during the auction, with 22 overseas cricketers. When the Rajasthan Royals franchise raised the auction paddle for South African all-rounder Chris Morris with a shocking price of Rs 16.25 crore, not only did the room go silent but the audience, too, had a moment of jaw drop.

Next in line of the most expensive buys was New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, who was bought for a whooping price of Rs 15 crore by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB was on a roll as it also bought Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for Rs 14.25 crore, sending social media into a state of frenzy.

But this wasn't it. The rechristened Punjab Kings bought Jhye Richardson for Rs 14 crore, followed by Chennai Super Kings who bagged all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham for Rs 9.25 crore.

Looks like it's time to pass on the mic to the next generation in line. At this year's auction, two young faces were spotted at the table, keenly grasping the environment and taking notes. Aryan Khan and Jahnavi Mehta, the kids of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, caught major attention at the auction. The two were seated along with the other members of the management team of their franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team jointly owned by SRK and Chawla's husband Jay Mehta.

The 'My Name Is Khan' star's son has been involved in IPL since the beginning and has been spotted alongside his actor father on numerous occasions. As for the 19-year-old Jahnavi Mehta, this wasn't her first gig either. Over the years, Mehta was seen sharing a keen interest in cricket and was spotted at the IPL matches with her father.

In the midst of all the drama and excitement, former actress Preity Zinta, owner of Punjab Kings, pretty much stole the show with her cute reaction on bagging Shahrukh Khan for her team. Oh, no, not the king of Bollywood but the cricketer from Chennai. Zinta bought Khan for a whopping amount of Rs 5.15 crore and as the hammer hit the table, the actress flew her hands in the air, rejoicing with "We got Shahrukh" as she looked at Aryan Khan seated on the KKR table at the auction. Zinta's reaction quickly found its way on the Internet and went viral, further spreading joy among cricket lovers.

One of the highlights of this year's IPL auction was cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's son, Arjun's debut. Among the names of well known players with record hits on the pitch was Arjun Tendulkar, making his debut at the IPL. Jr Tendular, who made his senior Mumbai team debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the national T20 championship against Haryana, was the last to go under the hammer at the auction. The 21-year-old was picked up by none other than Mumbai Indians franchise that bought the player for Rs 20 lakh.

Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla's daughter Jahnavi Mehta, became the youngest bidder in the history of IPL auctions. Kolkata Knight Riders team took to Twitter to confirm the news and also revealed that Mehta would give a "behind the scenes'' tour of the event in Chennai. Of course, seeing her young daughter achieving heights, Juhi Chawla was a proud mama, who took to the microblogging site Twitter to share her excitement: "So happy to see both the KKR kids, Aryan and Jahnavi at the Auction table." (Photo: Twitter/@KKRiders)

The IPL auction 2021 also saw some big steals as the teams lined up to bag key players. Former Australia captain Steve Smith was one of them, who was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.2 crore in the auction after he was released by Rajasthan Royals last season. Punjab Kings bagged the West Indian all-rounder Fabian Allen at Rs 75 lakh. On the other hand, Shakib Al Hasan will now play for KKR after four years as the team bought him back for Rs 3.2 crore. Delhi Capitals bought Umesh Yadav for Rs 1 crore.