BANGALORE — Former India Test player Yuvraj Singh was the most expensive buy on the first day of the IPL 2014 auction, in which 70 players were bought for a total of Rs 212.35 crores (approx. $35 million). Yuvraj and Dinesh Karthik were part of the 16-player marquee list that kicked off the auction and were fiercely contested by three franchises. Royal Challengers Bangalore made a successful bid for Yuvraj at Rs 14 crores ($2.33 million), while Delhi Daredevils bought Karthik for Rs 12.5 crores ($2.08 million). Kings XI Punjab paid Rs 6.5 crores ($1.083 million) to snap up Mitchell Johnson and Rs 6 crores ($1 million) for Glenn Maxwell. Kevin Pietersen, whose international career was recently brought to an abrupt end by the ECB, remained a favorite in the IPL as Delhi Daredevils, his previous employers, became the first franchise to exercise the right-to-match card to buy him for Rs 9 crores ($1.5 million). In fact, Pietersen, who was once the most expensive player in the IPL along with former England teammate Andrew Flintoff in 2009 (both were bought at $1.55m), was the costliest buy using the right-to-match card option. Emerging star New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, who scored the fastest ODI century smashing a 36-ball ton to breach the record set by Shahid Afridi in 1996, expectedly got a decent package of Rs 4.5 crore with the MumbaiIndians. Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson (Rs 6.5 crore, Kings XI Punjab), all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (Rs 6 crore, Kings XI Punjab), Indian opener Murali Vijay (Rs 5 crore, Delhi Daredevils), South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis (Rs 5.5 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders), Robin Uthappa (Rs 5 crore, KKR), West Indian batsman Dwayne Smith (Rs 4.5 crore, Chennai Super Kings), Amit Mishra (Rs 4.25 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Aaron Finch (Rs 4 crore, SRH) were some of the players who triggered intense bidding in the auction. Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, former New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor, Australian T20 specialist Cameron White, West Indian Marlon Samuels, pacer Daniel Christian and England batsman Ian Bell surprisingly found no buyers. Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, batsman David Hussey and retired pacer Brett Lee also suffered a similar fate but all the unsold players can come back into auction Thursday. The players will sign a one-year contract with their respective franchises, who have the discretion to extend them by two more years. — Agencies
