Krishnappa Gowtham’s IPL story is one of the most unusual in the league’s history. He arrived in 2018 as a ₹6.20 crore buy for Rajasthan Royals, played a starring role in their run to the playoffs, and three years later became the most expensive uncapped Indian player ever when Chennai Super Kings paid ₹9.25 crore for him. He never played a single match for CSK. That strange twist sums up a career that promised plenty but rarely got a long, settled run in any side.
Gowtham was a bowling all-rounder in the classic T20 mould: a right-arm off-spinner who could rip his leg side boundaries at the death. Across 36 IPL matches he scored 247 runs at a strike rate of 166.89 and took 21 wickets with his best figures of 2/12. His 33 not out off 11 balls against Mumbai Indians in 2018 remains one of the great finishing cameos by an uncapped player. In December 2025, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, closing the book on his IPL career.
K. Gowtham IPL Stats Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Krishnappa Gowtham |
| IPL Debut | 2018 |
| Role | Bowling all-rounder |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break |
| Current IPL Team | None (retired from all cricket in December 2025) |
| IPL Matches | 36 |
| IPL Runs | 247 |
| Highest Score | 33* |
| IPL Wickets | 21 |
| Best Bowling | 2/12 |
| IPL 2027 Team | None — retired |
| IPL 2027 Price | Not applicable — retired |
Who Is K. Gowtham?
Krishnappa Gowtham is a former Indian cricketer from Bangalore, Karnataka, born on 20 October 1988. An off-spinner and explosive lower-order batter, he built his reputation in domestic cricket as a T20 specialist with Karnataka, where he played from his Ranji Trophy debut in November 2012. That debut was a statement: he dismissed Suresh Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar against Uttar Pradesh.
Gowtham’s domestic peak came in the 2019 Karnataka Premier League, when he produced one of the great all-round performances in Indian domestic T20 cricket: 134 off 56 balls, including a 39-ball century, followed by figures of 8 for 15 for Bellary Tuskers against Shivamogga Lions. His strong domestic form earned him several India A call-ups, and in July 2021 he played his only international match — an ODI for India against Sri Lanka, scoring 2 runs and taking 1 for 49.
K. Gowtham IPL Teams
| Season | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mumbai Indians | Bought for ₹2 crore at auction; never played a match |
| 2018 | Rajasthan Royals | Bought for ₹6.20 crore at auction |
| 2019 | Rajasthan Royals | Retained |
| 2020 | Kings XI Punjab | Traded from Rajasthan Royals |
| 2021 | Chennai Super Kings | Bought for ₹9.25 crore at auction; did not play |
| 2022 | Lucknow Super Giants | Bought for ₹90 lakh at auction |
| 2023 | Lucknow Super Giants | Retained for ₹90 lakh |
| 2024 | Lucknow Super Giants | Retained for ₹90 lakh |
| 2025 | — | Unsold at the mega auction |
| 2026 | — | Not part of the IPL 2026 auction |
| 2027 | — | Retired from all forms of cricket (December 2025) |
Gowtham’s team history reads like a tour of the IPL. Mumbai Indians signed him in 2017 but never gave him a game. Rajasthan Royals made him a headline buy in 2018, where he played alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and Sam Curran, then released him after a lean 2019. A trade took him to Kings XI Punjab in 2020, and the 2021 auction made him the most expensive uncapped Indian ever at CSK — where he shared a squad with Ravindra Jadeja but, bizarrely, spent the whole season on the bench. Lucknow Super Giants picked him up cheap in 2022 and retained him twice, where his teammates included KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi and Shardul Thakur, but he played only one match in 2024. After going unsold at the 2025 mega auction and sitting out the 2026 auction, he retired.
K. Gowtham IPL 2024 Stats
| Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | Overs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Did not bat | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0/29 | — | 14.50 |
The 2024 season summed up Gowtham’s final years in the IPL. Lucknow retained him for a third straight year, but he played just one match — against Sunrisers Hyderabad, his last IPL appearance — bowling two overs without a wicket. He was the experienced squad option who rarely made the XI.
K. Gowtham IPL 2025 Stats
Gowtham had no IPL 2025 statistics because he went unsold at the 2025 mega auction. No franchise placed a bid for him, ending his run of seven straight IPL seasons on a squad.
K. Gowtham IPL 2026 Stats
Gowtham had no IPL 2026 statistics. His name was not part of the IPL 2026 auction, and he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 22 December 2025, two weeks after that auction.
K. Gowtham IPL 2027 Stats
IPL 2027 statistics are not available yet because the season has not started, and in Gowtham’s case there will never be any: he retired from all cricket on 22 December 2025. He will not be part of any IPL 2027 squad, auction, or retention list.
K. Gowtham IPL 2027 Team and Price
Gowtham has no IPL 2027 team or price. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 22 December 2025 at a press conference organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, in the presence of KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad. His final IPL team was Lucknow Super Giants, who retained him for the 2024 season at ₹90 lakh; his last IPL appearance came in May 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
K. Gowtham IPL Career Batting Stats
| Mat | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 27 | 9 | 247 | 33* | 13.72 | 148 | 166.89 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 17 |
K. Gowtham IPL Career Bowling Stats
| Mat | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 35 | 98 | 808 | 21 | 2/12 | 38.48 | 8.24 | 28.00 | 0 | 0 |
K. Gowtham IPL Stats by Year
| Season | Team | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | Wkts | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | RR | 15 | — | 126 | 33* | 14.00 | 196.87 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7.80 |
| 2019 | RR | 7 | — | 18 | 9 | 6.00 | 94.73 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8.30 |
| 2020 | KXIP | 2 | — | 42 | 22* | 42.00 | 155.55 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10.50 |
| 2021 | CSK | 0 | — | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | LSG | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8.25 |
| 2023 | LSG | 7 | — | 61 | 23 | 15.25 | 164.86 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7.38 |
| 2024 | LSG | 1 | — | Did not bat | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.50 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2026 | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
K. Gowtham IPL Highest Score
Gowtham’s highest IPL score is 33 not out, made off 11 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2018. Chasing a stiff target, he walked in at the death and smashed his way to victory, striking at 300 and finishing the game for RR. It was the innings that made his name — proof of exactly the kind of finishing power franchises kept paying for, even if he rarely got to repeat it.
K. Gowtham IPL Wickets and Best Bowling
Gowtham took 21 wickets in 36 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.24. His best bowling figures are 2 for 12, recorded for Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 season. His most productive year with the ball was also 2018: 11 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 7.80. His IPL debut wicket came that season too — Brendon McCullum of Sunrisers Hyderabad. He never took a four-wicket haul in the IPL.
K. Gowtham IPL Auction Price History
Gowtham’s IPL auction and retention journey saw his value swing from ₹9.25 crore to unsold within four years:
| Season | Team | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mumbai Indians | ₹2 crore | Auction (no matches played) |
| 2018 | Rajasthan Royals | ₹6.20 crore | Auction |
| 2019 | Rajasthan Royals | ₹6.20 crore | Retained |
| 2020 | Kings XI Punjab | — | Traded from RR |
| 2021 | Chennai Super Kings | ₹9.25 crore | Auction |
| 2022 | Lucknow Super Giants | ₹90 lakh | Auction |
| 2023 | Lucknow Super Giants | ₹90 lakh | Retained |
| 2024 | Lucknow Super Giants | ₹90 lakh | Retained |
| 2025 | — | — | Unsold at mega auction |
| 2026 | — | — | Not in auction |
| 2027 | — | — | Retired |
K. Gowtham IPL Records and Achievements
- Most expensive uncapped Indian player in IPL auction history at the time: Chennai Super Kings paid ₹9.25 crore for him at the 2021 auction. (Avesh Khan broke the overall uncapped record in the 2022 mega auction.)
- Played a starring all-round role in Rajasthan Royals’ 2018 playoff run, including the unbeaten 33 off 11 balls that sealed a win over Mumbai Indians.
- Karnataka Premier League 2019: 134 off 56 balls with a 39-ball century and 8 for 15 in the same match for Bellary Tuskers — one of Indian domestic T20’s great all-round performances.
- Represented India once: ODI debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021, with the wicket of Minod Bhanuka.
- Announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 22 December 2025 at the KSCA, closing a 14-year professional career.
K. Gowtham’s IPL Performance Analysis
The numbers tell the story of a player whose auction price and actual output rarely matched. Gowtham’s entire IPL peak is contained in the 2018 season: 126 runs at a strike rate of nearly 197 and 11 wickets at an economy of 7.80 for Rajasthan Royals. No other season comes close. In 2019, his returns collapsed — 18 runs and one wicket in seven matches — and RR released him.
From 2020 onwards, he became a squad player rather than a first-XI regular. Two matches for Kings XI Punjab in 2020, zero for CSK in 2021 despite the ₹9.25 crore price tag, and then bit parts at Lucknow: four matches in 2022, seven in 2023, and a single game in 2024. His bowling economy of 8.24 across the career is honest rather than outstanding, and his batting — always his secondary skill in the IPL — produced 17 sixes from just 148 balls faced, which explains why franchises kept buying the idea of him as a finisher even as the opportunities dried up. For readers judging his legacy, 2018 is the season that matters; everything after is the story of a reputation outliving its form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which IPL teams did K. Gowtham play for?
Gowtham played for Rajasthan Royals (2018–2019), Kings XI Punjab (2020), and Lucknow Super Giants (2022–2024). He was also on the squads of Mumbai Indians (2017) and Chennai Super Kings (2021) without playing a match for either.
How many matches did K. Gowtham play in the IPL?
He played 36 IPL matches, scoring 247 runs and taking 21 wickets.
What was K. Gowtham’s highest IPL auction price?
Chennai Super Kings bought him for ₹9.25 crore at the 2021 IPL auction, making him the most expensive uncapped Indian player at the time.
What is K. Gowtham’s highest score in the IPL?
33 not out off 11 balls, for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2018.
What are K. Gowtham’s best IPL bowling figures?
2 for 12, also in the 2018 season for Rajasthan Royals.
Why did K. Gowtham not play in IPL 2025 and 2026?
He went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction and was not part of the IPL 2026 auction. He then retired from all forms of cricket on 22 December 2025.
Will K. Gowtham play in IPL 2027?
No. He retired from all cricket in December 2025, so he will not appear in the IPL 2027 auction, retention list, or any squad.
How many wickets did K. Gowtham take in his IPL career?
21 wickets in 36 matches at an economy rate of 8.24 and an average of 38.48.
Sources and Data Notes
Statistics are drawn from CricTracker, myKhel, and SportsKeeda’s IPL stats pages, cross-checked against ESPNcricinfo and the official IPL site (iplt20.com). Auction and retention details are taken from established sports press reporting, including coverage of his retirement announcement of 22 December 2025. Statistics and player information are checked against available reliable sources and may be updated as new IPL matches, transfers, or official announcements are confirmed.
Statistics updated through: 14 October 2026
