Mumbai, Dec. 17 -- The IPL player auction has changed the lives of many players by introducing meritocracy through free market economics. Add Karthik Sharma, the 19-year-old wicket-keeper batter from Rajasthan, and Prashant Veer, the 20-year-old left-arm spin allrounder from Uttar Pradesh, to that list. Their big pay day - Rs. 14.2 crore each - at the mini auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday meant they will now play for Chennai Super Kings with MS Dhoni still in the squad. It was another pulsating day of frenzied paddle wars, with Australian allrounder Cameron Green (Rs.25.2 crore) becoming the most expensive overseas buy. Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana (Rs.18 cr) was the next most expensive buy of the day, again picked up by KKR. For CSK, once called the Dad's Army, this marked a tectonic shift in strategy. They went chasing youth from domestic cricket whom they had earmarked through scouting and trials. And it wasn't just CSK that did that. The top 10 list of most expensive buys had three uncapped players. The third was J&K pacer Auqib Nabi, whose Rs.8.4 crore IPL contract may spark further interest for cricket in the region after express pacer Umran Malik became a household name. Another uncapped bowler, Madhya Pradesh left-armer Mangesh Yadav, was bought by RCB for Rs.5.2 crore. Many foreign players were not Plan A for the teams and that showed their trust in local talent with the proliferation of state T20 leagues. The kids are training right, ready to shine. "They have no concern about the environment in which they need to express their skills. That's something we have to acknowledge - the T20 babies are coming through. Sometimes, experienced players can get caught trying to read the game too much," Stephen Fleming, CSK head coach, said. DC head coach Hemang Badani added: "The way the game's gone by, with the younger kids there's no baggage... To see Prashant Veers and Karthik Sharmas become the most expensive uncapped Indian players pretty much tells you what it is." Four of the 10 tables in the room bid for Green. But there were only two serious bidders - KKR and CSK. KKR came out eventual winners. It is how it was always going to be with no other team having sufficient spending power. Green's bidding resembled a scripted pro wrestling storyline where one knew who was going to deliver the chokeslam at the count of three. This time as the three counts came from auctioneer Mallika Sagar and ended the bidding war, the Australian all-rounder found himself a new colour to wear - KKR's purple. Green, strategically placed in the first set of batters, was the fifth name out of the draw. Mumbai Indians opened the bidding for old times' sake. He once played for the Mumbai franchise and owner Akash Ambani had called him a player who offered "lifetime value". But chained by the salary cap, a smiling Ambani withdrew from bidding early. RR quickly joined the race and pushed KKR up to Rs.13.4 crore before running out of gas. Enter CSK and this is where the bidding got serious. CSK could have stretched KKR further, but they had other plans. KKR had released Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer to free up the purse just for this buy. "It's tough to say. I think a lot of it would have depended on the rest of the plans," Venky Mysore, KKR CEO told reporters. Ultimately, CSK gave up at Rs. 25.20 crore. On expected lines, Green became a knight. In the process, he went past Mitchell Starc's Rs.23.75 crore price tag, the previous record for an overseas player. Green's gross salary would be Rs.18 crore under the new "maximum fee" rule. With a visible drop off in quality from Green to the next best player in the 369-strong auction field, KKR would feel their punt to re-strategise didn't cost dearly. "He adds a lot to our team, and especially with our new power coach (Russell), it's a very nice thing to have a young one on the field," Mysore said. "We know what he does at the international stage with the bat, with the ball, the position in which he plays. We couldn't be happier." Venkatesh Iyer, KKR's big money buy from the last auction saw a big price correction, going to holders RCB for Rs.7 crore. MI, who came in with the smallest purse, went away with a steal of a buy in Quinton de Kock for Rs.1 crore. The experienced South African is a like-for-like addition to compatriot Ryan Rickelton and a cover for Rohit Sharma, should he lose form. For English power-hitter Liam Livingstone, there was cheer in the accelerated action as he bagged Rs.13 crore in a late bidding war won by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Lucknow Super Giants. Josh Inglis too got good money (Rs.8.6 crore to LSG) belatedly, but the story of the day was teams choosing to trust their own scouting teams and uncapped players. To know whether the tactic pays off, we have to wait until March 26 when the new season kicks off....