/ 19 January 2010

Big money moves at IPL auction

West Indies all-rounder Kieron Adrian Pollard became the most expensive purchase of the third Indian Premier League player auction on Tuesday.

West Indies all-rounder Kieron Adrian Pollard became the first and most expensive purchase of the third Indian Premier League player auction on Tuesday.

Pollard, 22, will join the Mumbai Indians team after attracting an undisclosed winning fee, exceeding his price of $750 000 per season, while the Kolkata Knight Riders won the bidding for former ICL rebel paceman Shane Bond of New Zealand for $750 000.

West Indies Test all-rounder Kemar Roach, 21, was bought by the Deccan Chargers for $720 000, while left-handed South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils for $610 000.

Eoin Morgan became the only England player to be bought at Tuesday’s auction, which made players available for each club to fill vacancies in their squads.

Irish-born Morgan, a left-handed batsman who has represented England in limited-overs internationals, was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for $220 000.

Former Australia Test batsman Damien Martyn joined the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals for $100 000. The Royals also bought Australian one-day and T20 batsman Adam Voges for $50 000.

The Chennai Super Kings paid $100 000 for South African Test all-rounder Justin Kemp and $50 000 for Sri Lankan bowler Thissara Perera.

Former Test batsman Mohammad Kaif, the only senior Indian on auction, was bought by the Kings XI Punjab for $250 000. Kings also paid $50 000 for South African left-arm bowler Yusuf Abdulla.

England’s Graeme Swann and Australian Brad Haddin were unsold, as were all 11 of the Pakistan players nominated for the auction.

A total of eleven players of the available 67 were attracted successful bids.

Pollard and Bond’s purchases were decided by the newly introduced tiebreaker rule.

Pollard attracted $750 000 bids from four franchises — Mumbai, Chennai, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata.

The four bidders were asked to make silent bids on paper within five minutes. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi received the bids and then announced the winner.

Kolkata went into a tiebreak with the Deccan Chargers for Bond.

The silent bid amount exceeding the base price is not disclosed.

The excess money — more than the franchisees’ limit of $750 000 spending — goes to IPL and not the player.

Trinidad & Tobago-born Pollard drew attention as an all-rounder during last year’s Champions League Twenty20 tournament.

Bond was associated with the rebel Indian Cricket League and returned to the IPL fold only recently.

Three India Under-19 players were also distributed. Bangalore got team captain and left-hand batsman Ashok Menaria, while the Chargers took spinner Harmeet Singh and Mumbai picked all-rounder Harshal Patel. — Sapa-AP