IPL auction 2018: Those who have followed Washington Sundar’s journey in Indian cricket would have been surprised by the fact that he was bought by RCB for Rs 3.2 crore in IPL auction 2018. The 18-year-old all rounder had made his international debut against Sri Lanka last year during the three-match T20 series. Named after PD Washington as a mark of thanksgiving to his mentor by his father, Sundar has risen in the ranks from the age-group level to the Under-19 level and from Tamil Nadu to Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). He was one of the reasons why Steve Smith-led side made it to the final of IPL 10.

In IPL auction 2018, Washington Sundar was one of the favourite Indian players and the bidding war for him only proved that fact. A left-handed top-order batsman who also bowls off-spin, the 18-year-old made a rather low-key first-class debut-coming after an impressive performance for India in the Under-19 World Cup which was held in Bangladesh. India eventually finished runner-up losing the finals against West Indies. Here are few interesting facts about Washington Sundar:

1. Being unsold during the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions, Sundar was recruited as an injury replacement to R Ashwin. The 18-year-old made his T20 debut during the 2017 IPL for Rising Pune Supergiant.

2. He made a big impact with his bowling during the Qualifier against Mumbai Indians, taking the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu, finishing with figures of 3 for 16 off four overs and with it the Man of the Match award.

3. Washington Sundar didn’t do a bad job in the final either, finishing with impressive figures of three for 16, even though RPS lost the game by one run.

4. In last 12 months, Washington Sundar has grown further as a player. He opened the batting for Tamil Nadu in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and might do the same in IPL 2018.

5. In Ranji Trophy, he has played 12 matches and scored 532 runs at an average of 31.29. He also has a century and two half-centuries in the 12 First-Class games. He has done a better with his bowling in First-Class cricket. In the 12 matches, he has 30 wickets and that too at an average of 26.93.