Agencies
Chennai
South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris became the most expensive buy in the IPL history as he was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a record price of $2.25 million (approx) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 player auction held at the Hotel ITC Grand Chola on Thursday.
A host of cricket stars from world over picked up million dollar-plus contracts for the 10-week tournament that is expected to start in April.
The fee for the 33-year-old Morris smashed the record $2.2 million paid for Yuvraj Singh by Delhi in 2015. Australian bowler Pat Cummins had previously been the most expensive foreign player, costing Kolkata Knight Riders $2.17m in 2019.
CSK spent big on all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham who was sold for a staggering $1.25m, making him the most expensive uncapped Indian player in IPL history.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) went all out for New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, splashing a whopping for $2 million, 14 times his start price at the auction, for him.
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell also fetched big amount and was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for $1.95m after an intense bidding war.
Punjab Kings spent big on Jhye Richardson, buying him for $1.9 million. The 24-year-old has played just two Tests and nine T20 matches.
India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara was bought by CSK for his base price of $70,000.
Arjun Tendulkar, son of Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, was picked by Mumbai Indians, in the last transaction of the day for $30,000.
Steve Smith, released by RR, went to Delhi Capitals for $300,000.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali was picked up by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for $950,000, while Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan went to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for $450,000.
India all-rounder Shivam Dube was also in huge demand and went to Rajasthan Royals for $500,000.
While there were a few big signings, there were some big names that remained unsold including Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Aaron Finch, among others.
Nathan Coulter-Nile went to defending champions Mumbai Indians for $700,000, who also picked up Piyush Chawla for Rs $320,000.
Umesh Yadav was picked by Delhi Capitals for his base price of $140,000.
Punjab Kings spent $1.1 million for Australian uncapped fast bowler Riley Meredith.
Tamil Nadu big-hitter Shahrukh Khan was picked up by Punjab Kings for $700,000, while another uncapped player Chetan Sakariya went to Rajasthan Royals for $150,000.
A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and 3 players from associate nations were up for grabs at the auction. Officially, each team is allowed to spend nearly $12 million in salaries.
Kohli is believed to have the biggest IPL salary, earning some $2.7 million a year at Bangalore in 2018. He has never been part of the auction.
Meanwhile Chinese phone maker Vivo returned as the IPL’s lead sponsor. Vivo had signed a five-year contract in 2017 worth more than $330 million to sponsor the IPL.
Chennai
South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris became the most expensive buy in the IPL history as he was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a record price of $2.25 million (approx) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 player auction held at the Hotel ITC Grand Chola on Thursday.
A host of cricket stars from world over picked up million dollar-plus contracts for the 10-week tournament that is expected to start in April.
The fee for the 33-year-old Morris smashed the record $2.2 million paid for Yuvraj Singh by Delhi in 2015. Australian bowler Pat Cummins had previously been the most expensive foreign player, costing Kolkata Knight Riders $2.17m in 2019.
CSK spent big on all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham who was sold for a staggering $1.25m, making him the most expensive uncapped Indian player in IPL history.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) went all out for New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, splashing a whopping for $2 million, 14 times his start price at the auction, for him.
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell also fetched big amount and was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for $1.95m after an intense bidding war.
Punjab Kings spent big on Jhye Richardson, buying him for $1.9 million. The 24-year-old has played just two Tests and nine T20 matches.
India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara was bought by CSK for his base price of $70,000.
Arjun Tendulkar, son of Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, was picked by Mumbai Indians, in the last transaction of the day for $30,000.
Steve Smith, released by RR, went to Delhi Capitals for $300,000.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali was picked up by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for $950,000, while Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan went to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for $450,000.
India all-rounder Shivam Dube was also in huge demand and went to Rajasthan Royals for $500,000.
While there were a few big signings, there were some big names that remained unsold including Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Aaron Finch, among others.
Nathan Coulter-Nile went to defending champions Mumbai Indians for $700,000, who also picked up Piyush Chawla for Rs $320,000.
Umesh Yadav was picked by Delhi Capitals for his base price of $140,000.
Punjab Kings spent $1.1 million for Australian uncapped fast bowler Riley Meredith.
Tamil Nadu big-hitter Shahrukh Khan was picked up by Punjab Kings for $700,000, while another uncapped player Chetan Sakariya went to Rajasthan Royals for $150,000.
A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and 3 players from associate nations were up for grabs at the auction. Officially, each team is allowed to spend nearly $12 million in salaries.
Kohli is believed to have the biggest IPL salary, earning some $2.7 million a year at Bangalore in 2018. He has never been part of the auction.
Meanwhile Chinese phone maker Vivo returned as the IPL’s lead sponsor. Vivo had signed a five-year contract in 2017 worth more than $330 million to sponsor the IPL.