#IPLAuctions: Mumbai Indians' Krishnappa Gowtham looking forward to learning from his role model

Karnataka Ranji player Krishnappa Gowtham is one of the lucky domestic players who, with his heroics in first-class tournaments, forced IPL franchises to shell out moolah at the recently concluded auctions.

Gowtham played a vital role in India A's draw against visiting Australians in the warm-up game before the visitors clash with Kohli & Co at Maharashtra Cricket Association's stadium in Pune on Saturday. Gowtham collected 74 runs off 83 balls with the strike rate of 108.82. This knock might have lifted his value amongst the bidders on Monday.

Mumbai Indians picked up Gowtham, who had the base price of Rs 10 lakh, for Rs 2 crores. Mumbai-based franchise staved off stiff challenges to get Gowtham.

An all-rounder, leaning more towards off-spin than let his bat do the talking, Gowtham watched the auction at his home, reports Mid-Day. The first time going under the hammer got to him. He became nervous after a normal morning routine as the time for auction crept closer.

Now that he is the part of Mumbai Indians, he wants to take advantage of being in proximity of other veteran players in the team. "I'm looking forward to working with and learning from Harbhajan Singh who is my role model," Gowtham told the daily.

Apart from Gowtham, MI also picked up Karn Sharma at Rs 3.2 crore, West Indian wicket-keeper Nicolas Pooran, and Sri Lankan batsman Asela Gunarathna. Mumbai Indians will begin their bid for the IPL title with a match against Rising Pune Supergiant on April 6.