IPL auction: Singapore all-rounder Tim David bought by MI for Rs 8.25 cr

Bengaluru: Mumbai Indians on Sunday made some expensive buys at the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auctions in Bengaluru. After remaining silent on the opening day of the event, they splurged heavy amounts on the likes of Jofra Archer (Rs 8 crore) and Singaporean batter Tim David (Rs 8.25 core).

Just like Archer, David too became a part of a bidding war among multiple franchises. But MI won the bid. The 25-year-old is a known figure in the tournaments like Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, and Big Bash League. He made his IPL debut in 2021 in which he represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the CSK.

The big-hitting Singapore-born middle-order batter has had one of the steepest rises to prominence in the T20 circuit over the last one year. After a strong Big Bash for the Hobart Hurricanes, David was the crisis man for both the Lahore Qalandars and the St. Lucia Kings in the PSL and CPL respectively. David has reinforced his value with some swashbuckling innings for Multan Sultans in his last few PSL innings.

In his Qalandars stint where the top order often collapsed, David showed the ability to reconstruct the innings at a rapid rate – a quality that teams will be attracted by. That is not even the most fascinating aspect of his batting – he is one of the few overseas batters who has a mind-blowing record against away spin (45/142 vs leg-spin and 58/147 vs slow left arm). Coupled with his destructive ability against medium pace, he could be a ready-to-deploy finisher for Mumbai Indians.

David has represented Singapore in 14 T20Is, scoring 558 runs at an average of 46.5. He is of Australian descent. His father Roderick David is an Australian who had also represented Singapore.

David isn't the first player from an associated nation to play IPL — Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands has played for the Kolkata Knight Riders — his arrival brings a new, Southeast Asian flavour to the league and adds to the prevailing Australian one.