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indiantelevision.com Team
MUMBAI: The IPL auction ahead of the sixth season turned out to be a lavish affair with nine franchises spending $11.89 million on 37 players with 24-year-old Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell leading the pack with a $1 million purchase by Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians.
The Sunday?s auction came alive with a bidding war between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad for Maxwell, who was the only person to get a seven figure deal. Sun TV-owned franchise applied the brakes at $975,000 which saw Mumbai Indians getting Maxwell for $1 million.
Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis went to Pune Warriors for $725,000. Unknown Australian pacer Kane Richardson went for $700,000 to the same team.
In contrast to Maxwell?s good fortune, more experienced Australian players Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, also the two marquee players at the auction, went at their base price of $400,000 to Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors India respectively.
South African all-rounder Chris Morris, who has played only one T20, was taken by Chennai Super Kings for $625,000. Sri Lankan off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake whose base price was $50,000 went to the Kolkata Knight Riders for $625,000.
Uncapped Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile got $450,000 from Mumbai.
Among the Indian cricketers who did well Abhishek Nayar, who last played for Kings XI Punjab, went to Pune Warriors for $675,000. Sunrisers paid $500,000 for Manpreet Gony and Royal Challengers Bangalore paid $525,000 for Jaydev Unadkat.
The Sunrisers picked up six players. Royal Challengers Bangalore picked up seven players, Mumbai and Chennai bought five players each. Shah Rukh Khan?s Kolkata Knight Riders and Preity Zinta?s Kings XI Punjab bought two players each. Delhi Daredevils bought three players.
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said that the franchises wanted to only fill specific slots in their squads. He also said that the next IPL auction would see 350 to 400 players being traded.
"It?s not a full-fledged auction. The franchises this time only wanted to fill the places in the squads. It?s not like it has gone down and all. Next year we will have a full-fledged auction where in there will be over 350 to 400 players in fray," Shukla said.
