BANGALORE: Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir was snapped up for a record 2.4 million dollars 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 dollars club at the auction for the fourth edition of the scandal-plagued tournament, along with Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma. Over 350 players were up for grabs for the next three seasons, with the sequence of players coming up for auction decided by drawing of lots. 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 dollars. He was soon joined in the exclusive bracket by all-rounder Pathan, who was bought by the same franchise for 2.1 million dollars. Pathan's reserve price was 300,000 dollars. Batsman Uthappa went to new franchise Pune Warriors for 2.1 million dollars, while Sharma was bought by MumbaiIndians for 2 million dollars 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 dollars, was bought by Deccan Chargers for 650,000 dollars this time. Among the 1 million dollar 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 dollars at the inaugural auction in 2008. This time Symonds went to MumbaiIndians for 850,000 dollars. Each of the 10 franchises has a purse of 9 million dollars 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 dollars for a three-year contract. The annual IPL tournament revolutionized cricket when it burst on to the scene in 2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, Twenty20 matches and Bollywood glamor. 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 was thrown out by the BCCI, the sport's governing body in India, over allegations about his conduct and organizers hope this year will provide a fresh start. The tournament (from April 8 to May 22), 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. Some top cricketers have opted out of the IPL's fourth season, including the Australian trio of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, and former India captain Anil Kumble. The auction will continue Sunday. Top players: Gautam Gambhir (Ind) $2.4 million, Kolkata Knight Riders; Yusuf Pathan (Ind) $2.1m, Kolkata Knight Riders; Robin Uthappa (Ind) $2.1m, Pune Warriors; Rohit Sharma (Ind) $2.0m, MumbaiIndians; Irfan Pathan (Ind) $1.9m, Delhi Daredevils; Yuvraj Singh (Ind) $1.8m, Pune Warriors; Saurabh Tiwary (Ind) $1.6m, Royal Challengers Bangalore; Mahela Jayawardene (SL) $1.5m, Kochi; David Hussey (Aus) $1.4m, Kings XI Punjab; Dale Steyn (SA) $1.2m, Deccan Chargers; Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) $1.1m, Kochi; AB de Villiers (SA) $1.1m, Royal Challengers Bangalore; Cameron White (Aus) $1.1m, Deccan Chargers; Jacques Kallis (SA) $1.1m, Kolkata Knight Riders and Ross Taylor (NZ) $1.0 million Rajasthan Royals. – Agence France
