After auction snub, Ishant Sharma gets picked by Kings XI Punjab

NEW DELHI: Senior Indian speedster Ishant Sharma was today picked by Kings XI Punjab for the 10th Indian Premier League, a massive boost to his Twenty20 career after the setback of going unsold in the players' auction.

Currently, India's senior-most pacer in the Test squad (77 matches), Ishant went unsold at the IPL Players' auction in February where his base price was a whopping Rs 2 crore.

His name came up twice but none of the eight franchises picked him, mainly due to his high base price.

However, it is understood that Kings XI Punjab, whose pace attack needs a bit of experience, got Ishant on board.

Over the years, Ishant has played for a number of franchises starting from Kolkata Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiants.

The 28-year-old has 88 wickets from the 107 Twenty20 matches he has played and has an economy rate of 7.75 with best bowling figures of 5 for 12.