Skip to main content

IPL auction records tumble as Pant and Iyer snapped up

Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history on Sunday when he sold for a record $3.2 million, as teams splashed out on world-class cricketers for the lucrative T20 tournament.

A total of 577 players are up for grabs at the two-day auction in Jeddah, with Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names.

The 2023 record of $2.98m Kolkata paid to Australian Mitchell Starc was first breached by Punjab Kings, who the IPL said snapped up Shreyas Iyer for a “handsome” $3.17m.

Iyer, 29, captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL crown this year.

But that record rapidly tumbled.

The IPL reported Lucknow Super Giants paid a “gigantic” $3.2m for 27-year-old star keeper Rishabh Pant.

The auction started on a sizzling note when Indian quick Arshdeep Singh’s name began a bidding war, which ended with Punjab getting the left-arm pace bowler for $2.13m.

This year, Australian left-arm quick Starc was not retained by Kolkata — and went to Delhi Capitals for $1.39m.

Gujarat Titans paid $1.87m for England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, while India pace bowler Mohammed Shami went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for $1.18m.

Shami, 34, has recovered from a foot injury and is expected to join the Test team in the ongoing series in Australia.

‘Huge excitement’

Before bidding began, Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid said managers had done the groundwork but bidding on the day meant nothing could be taken for granted.

“You can prepare […] you have a lot of discussions around the players and the tactics that you might employ,” Dravid said, according to the IPL.

“But being realistic, you have to be able to think on your feet a little bit.” Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting, the former Australia skipper, said there was “huge excitement” but keeping cool during the bidding was critical.

“I think being really really calm, and really clear, at the auction table is a really important thing,” Ponting said.

The IPL has generated billions in revenue since its inception in 2008, turning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) into one of the richest governing bodies in sport.

In June 2022 it sold the broadcast rights for five IPL seasons to global media giants for $6.2 billion.

The BCCI has sought to broaden the tournament’s profile by staging the auction abroad.

Last year it was held in Dubai, a regular host for international cricket tournaments.

Like Saudi Arabia, it has a large base of prospective fans among its migrant worker population.

Putting the auction on in Jeddah is seen as a win-win for a tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image.

De facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has backed extravagant sports investments — Saudi Arabia is the sole candidate for hosting the football World Cup in 2034 — to diversify its oil-rich economy.

Critics point to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, accusing the kingdom of “sports-washing”.

But Saudi Cricket Federation chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal said staging the auction reflected the kingdom’s “commitment to developing the sport and showcasing its position as a global destination for sporting events”.

The IPL is a huge earner for Indian cricket and the tournament is estimated to make more than $11bn for the economy each year.

The pioneering IPL helped make Twenty20 cricket hugely popular, spawning similar events worldwide.

Dates for next year’s IPL have not been released but seasons usually run from March to May.



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/qKHpDhx
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...
1 comment
Read more

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

In noisy NA session, Bilawal endorses PTI’s call for judicial inquiry into May 9 riots

In his maiden speech during a session of the newly elected National Assembly, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday endorsed the PTI’s call for a judicial inquiry into the May 9 riots. He passed these remarks in reference to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s recent call for the formation of a judicial commission to probe the violent protests that erupted across the country following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 last year. “I call upon the chief justice Supreme Court of Pakistan (Justice Qaez Faiz Isa) to form [a judicial commission] and see who are the beneficiaries [of May 9],” Gandapur had said in a fiery speech after being elected the chief executive of KP. Speaking on the floor of the lower house of the Parliament today, Bilawal said he endorsed Gandapur’s demand. But at the same time, he stated that the result should be accepted by everyone, including the Imran-led party. “It is not possible that someone attacks our institution and th...
Post a Comment
Read more