IPL playerIndia2011 to 2022
Varun Aaron
On scorecards: VR Aaron · Right-hand bat
Varun Aaron, a bowler, played nine IPL seasons for five franchises. One title came along the way.
The arrival
Varun Aaron's first IPL season was 2011, with Delhi Daredevils, a signing made outside the auction.
That first season brought 4 matches and 2 wickets at 6.83 an over.
The peak
The best season was 2014, for Royal Challengers Bangalore: 16 wickets at 8.04 runs an over, while the league's bowlers went for 7.98, with best figures of 3 for 16.
Franchise by franchise
2011 to 2012, Delhi Daredevils. 12 matches and 10 wickets.
2014 to 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Bought at the 2014 auction for ₹2.0 cr. 24 matches and 21 wickets.
2017, Kings XI Punjab. Bought at the 2017 auction for ₹2.8 cr. 6 matches and 7 wickets.
2019 to 2020, Rajasthan Royals. Bought at the 2019 auction for ₹2.4 cr. 8 matches and 4 wickets.
2022, Gujarat Titans. Bought at the 2022 auction for ₹50 lakh. 2 matches and 2 wickets; champions in 2022.
5 spells with five franchises in all. The longest was with Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2014 to 2016. 2013, 2018 and 2021 are missing from the record: seasons without an IPL appearance.
How the wickets came
With the ball, 44 wickets in 1,002 deliveries, at 8.87 runs an over against a league rate of 8.00 for the same seasons: 0.87 an over more expensive than the typical bowler of the time.
38.9% of the balls Varun Aaron bowled were dots, a higher share than 74% of the 150 bowlers with 500 balls or more; a wicket came every 22.6 balls.
The fielding record: 3 catches and 2 run-outs.
At the auction
Varun Aaron went under the hammer seven times, bought four times and left unsold three times. The highest price was ₹2.8 cr, paid by Kings XI Punjab in 2017, more than 9 times the base price. The market cooled over time: the last purchase, in 2022, cost ₹50 lakh. Unsold in 2021, Varun Aaron was bought again in 2022 by Gujarat Titans.
Seasons without an auction entry were played under a retention, a trade or a signing made outside the auction.
The legacy
Varun Aaron made 52 IPL appearances, the last for Gujarat Titans in 2022, and won 2 player-of-the-match awards.
Season by season
| Season | Team | M | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50/100 | Wkts | Econ | Best | Ct | POTM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Delhi Daredevils | 4 | 0 | 0* | – | – | 0/0 | 2 | 6.83 | 1/20 | 0 | ||
| 2012 | Delhi Daredevils | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 33.3 | 0/0 | 8 | 8.74 | 2/19 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 10 | 35 | 17* | – | 102.9 | 0/0 | 16 | 8.04 | 3/16 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6.0 | 200.0 | 0/0 | 3 | 10.21 | 2/24 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 0/0 | 2 | 9.46 | 2/37 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | Kings XI Punjab | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4.0 | 40.0 | 0/0 | 7 | 8.08 | 2/3 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | Rajasthan Royals | 5 | 3 | 3* | – | 42.9 | 0/0 | 4 | 9.67 | 2/20 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Rajasthan Royals | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 0/0 | 0 | 11.28 | - | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Gujarat Titans | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 0/0 | 2 | 10.40 | 2/45 | 0 | Champions |
Franchise journey
- Delhi Daredevils: 2011 to 2012
- Royal Challengers Bangalore: 2014 to 2016
- Kings XI Punjab: 2017
- Rajasthan Royals: 2019 to 2020
- Gujarat Titans: 2022
Ball-by-ball detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Dot balls faced | 58.3% |
| Balls per four | 36 |
| Balls per six | 36 |
| Dot balls bowled | 38.9% |
| Balls per wicket | 22.6 |
| Catches | 3 |
| Run-outs | 2 |
| Stumpings | 0 |
At the auction
| Auction | Set | Base price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | FA2 | ₹1.5 cr | Sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹2.0 cr |
| 2017 | – | ₹30 lakh | Sold to Kings XI Punjab for ₹2.8 cr |
| 2019 | – | ₹50 lakh | Sold to Rajasthan Royals for ₹2.4 cr |
| 2021 | – | ₹50 lakh | Unsold |
| 2022 | – | ₹50 lakh | Sold to Gujarat Titans for ₹50 lakh |
| 2023 | FA4 | ₹50 lakh | Unsold |
| 2024 | FA2 | ₹50 lakh | Unsold |
Sources
- CricArcade IPL season statistics
- CricArcade IPL auction archive
- Kaggle IPL Complete Match Dataset 2008-2026, ball-by-ball, cross-checked against Cricsheet