BANGALORE: Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir was snapped up for a record $2.4 million on Saturday’s first day of bidding at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for players.
The left-handed opener was among four Indians to join the $2 million club at the auction for the fourth edition of the scandal-plagued tournament, along with Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma.
Gambhir was the first to go under the hammer at the two-day auction in Bangalore, and was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for an amount far exceeding his base price of $200,000.
He was soon joined in the exclusive bracket by all-rounder Pathan, who was bought by the same franchise for $2.1 million. Pathan’s reserve price was $300,000.
Batsman Uthappa went to new franchise Pune Warriors for $2.1 million, while Sharma was bought by Mumbai Indians for $2 million as Indians emerged as the most-sought-after players on the opening day of the auction.
The prices paid to the Indian foursome easily eclipsed the previous record of England duo Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who went for 1.55 million dollars each in 2009.
Pietersen, with a base price of $400,000, was bought by Deccan Chargers for $650,000 this time.
Among the $1 million men were New Zealander Ross Taylor, Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, South Africans AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis, India’s Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan and Saurabh Tiwary, and Australians Cameron White and David Hussey.
Only two players — India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds — were bought for more than $1 million at the inaugural auction in 2008. This time Symonds went to Mumbai Indians for $850,000.
Each of the 10 franchises has a purse of $9 million to spend at the auction.
Former captains Brian Lara of the West Indies and Sourav Ganguly of India remained unsold on the opening day, along with hard-hitting West Indies batsman Chris Gayle.
Lara, 41, was among 21 cricketers with the highest reserve price of $400,000 for a three-year contract.
The annual IPL tournament revolutionised cricket when it burst on to the scene in 2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, Twenty20 matches and Bollywood glamour.
But its fortunes dipped dramatically last year after allegations of massive corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as well as secret deals to hide teams’ real owners, and even links to India’s criminal underworld.
IPL founder Lalit Modi — whose brash style personified the event — was thrown out by the BCCI, the sport’s governing body in India, over allegations about his conduct and organisers hope this year will provide a fresh start.
The tournament, starting on April 8, will feature 10 teams, including the two new sides — Pune Warriors and Kochi.
Twelve players have been retained by their original franchises, with Dhoni staying with the Chennai Super Kings and Shane Warne and Shane Watson sticking with the Rajasthan Royals.
Pakistan’s cricketers continued to miss out on the IPL bonanza after none of them was included for the auction.
Pakistan players participated in the inaugural IPL, but were forced out of the 2009 season due to security concerns following the Mumbai attacks, and were then ignored for the 2010 tournament.
