IPL auction: Stokes for Rs 12.5 cr, Gayle unsold
Bengaluru, January 27
Ben Stokes was the costliest purchase on the first day of the IPL auction today, bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.5 crore. Two Indians, Manish Pandey and KL Rahul, were bought for Rs 11 crore each, while Krunal Pandya was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 8.8 crore.
The day’s big surprise was Chris Gayle not finding a buyer. Last month, he had smashed 146 runs off 69 balls in the final of the Bangladesh Premier League. “I’m the greatest batsman of all time,” Gayle then declared.
But today, no one picked up Gayle, whose base price is Rs 2 crore, which was exceeded in several purchases today. Gayle is in his 39th year and it’s clear that the IPL teams are losing interest in him. Another IPL giant, Lasith Malinga, is relatively younger at 34 years, but he too is nearing the end of the road, and he was also left unsold.
Australians in demand
Australian players, once again, earned big bucks. Kolkata bought Australia’s limited-overs specialist Chris Lynn for Rs 9.6 crore and their Ashes hero Mitchell Starc for Rs 9.4 crore, while Delhi secured the service of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for Rs 9 crore. Sussex all-rounder Jofra Archer’s stellar Big Bash performance for Hobart Hurricanes made him the subject of a fierce bidding war which ended with Rajasthan buying the Barbados-born player for Rs 7.2 crore, 18 times his base price.
No to potable water for ground maintenance in IPL
Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) gave an undertaking to the Bombay High Court, stating it will not use potable water for watering the pitch or in other maintenance work of the Wankhede stadium during the upcoming 11th edition of the IPL matches. The MCA further informed that only recycled water would be used for maintenance work during this year’s IPL. — TNS/Agencies
The unsold players
Among the players left unsold today were Chris Gayle, Murali Vijay and Josh Hazlewood. These top players would have another chance tomorrow:
