Punjab Kings went in with the biggest pool of Rs 28.65 crore while Lucknow Super Giants, who had a busy Saturday, were left with the least amount of money - Rs 6.90 crore. While most franchises chose to wait and watch, Punjab splurged on two players. At Rs 11.5 crore, Englishman Liam Livingstone became the most expensive overseas buy while the current flavour from West Indies, Odean Smith, was bought for Rs 6 crore. IPL AUCTION: AS IT HAPPENEDGiven the limited resources, bidding wasn't frenzied but teams moved with purpose to acquire players they had targeted. Eventually, 204 players, including 67 overseas cricketers, were brought, with the total spending in the auction touching Rs 551.7 crore. Livingstone's stint with Rajasthan Royals yielded just 42 runs from five innings last year but he ensured a bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders making the opening bid and Chennai Super Kings jumping into the fray. Punjab and Gujarat Titans too threw their hats in the ring. Punjab almost had him at Rs 10. 25 crore but Sunrisers Hyderabad upped the price tag, till Punjab had the final say but at an additional cost of Rs 1.25 crore.
