The dramatic pullout of Sahara India from the fifth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) as franchisee of Pune Warriors and as the main sponsor of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) overshadowed the players' auction here on Saturday.
In contrast to the excitement and suspense that gripped the second auction also held in this tech hub a year ago, Saturday's 'mini-auction' began on a sour note as the number of franchises reduced to eight from 10 with the cancellation of Kochi Tuskers Kerala over default and walkout by Sahara India hours before international-acclaimed auctioneer Richard Madley wielded the hammer.
As Sahara officials walked out of the auction venue, a damning statement against BCCI from the franchises after the auction got underway at a five-star hotel triggered more questions about the development as it cited several reasons, including denial of natural justice by the world's richest cricketing body.
"The auction began around 11 a.m. on a sombre note and was held in an orderly fashion for about 150 minutes till 1:30 p.m. when 17 of the 49 players were put on bid and bought by the different franchises. The absence of Pune Warriors' and Kochi Tuskers' franchisees was certainly felt," an IPL official told IANS during lunch break.
When the auction resumed at 3 p.m. on a sedate note for the remaining players, it was called off an hour later as only eight more players could be sold and there were no takers for the remaining 95 players.
"The eight franchises have collectively spent $11 million for purchasing 25 players, which leaves out the remaining 119 for trading online from Monday," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla told reporters after the auction ended.
Though Bollywood superstar and flamboyant owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan and owner of Mumbai Indians Nita Ambani were the noted personalities present along with Ness Wadia of Kings XI Punjab and Siddharth Mallya of Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 'replacement auction', the zing was missing and the atmosphere was anything but romantic.
The conspicuous absence of Bollywood celebrities and owners of Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals Preeti Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, respectively, from the venue turned the auction damp squib where 144 players, including eight Indians and 136 foreign were up for grabs.
"The rejection rate was higher this time as the franchises were wary of bidding for anyone or everyone. They were choosy and selective due to fund crunch and utility of the player in the slots that were vacant to be filled," the official pointed out.
Of the eight Indians, veteran batsman V.V.S. Laxman and pacer and V.R.V. Singh remained unsold, while Ravindra Jadeja, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, R.P. Singh, S. Sreesanth and Ramesh Powar were grabbed by the vying franchises.
Gujarat-born Jadeja was the star of the pick as he was grabbed by two-time winner franchise Chennai Super Kings for over $2 million (Rs.10 crore) pipping Deccan Chargers in a tie-breaker.
Pacer Vinay returns to two-time runner-up Royal Challengers of Bangalore, which bid aggressively to buy him for $1 million after dropping him last year.
Deccan Chargers, which lost Kumar to Royal Challengers in the bid, however, managed to get wicket-keeper Patel for $650,000.
Pacer Singh was bought by Mumbai Indians for $600,000 while spinner Pawar was picked by Kings XI Punjab for $160,000.
Among foreign players who were bought include Mahela Jawardene from Sri Lanka by Delhi Daredevils for $1.4 million, Brendon McCullum from New Zealand and Sunil Narine from West Indies by Knight Riders for $900,000 and $700,000, respectively, Muthaiah Muralidharan from Sri Lanka by Royal Challengers for $220,000, Herschelle Gibbs from South Africa by Mumbai Indians for $500,000, and Brad Hodge from Australia by RR for $475,000.
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