The Hindu : Sport : IPL player’s auction on Feb. 20

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IPL player’s auction on Feb. 20

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) pool of contracted cricketers will go under the hammer during an open auction in Mumbai on February 20.

Owners of eight IPL franchises will bid for the players named in the auction pool, announced Lalit Modi, Chairman of IPL, at a media briefing on Saturday.

“Players in the auction pool will be graded (Category A-F) depending on skills. Names of players from each category will be put in a bowl. One player’s name will be pulled out and the bidding will take place. The player will be handed over to the franchise owner with the highest bid.”

Grading

Grading will be done on basis of cricketing speciality that is batsman, bowler, wicketkeeper etc. The IPL had announced a list of ‘icon’ players earlier, who will not be in the auction pool if there is a team from their city.

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and M.S. Dhoni are included in the ‘icon’s list. Apart from Dhoni, the other four belong to city teams, so they will not be auctioned. Delhi and Hyderabad franchises asked for Virender Sehwag and V.V.S. Laxman respectively to be included in the ‘icon’s list, confirmed the IPL Chairman, adding that the matter will be put up before the IPL council.

‘Marquee player’

There will also be a ‘marquee player’ category, comprising names like Ricky Ponting and Chris Gayle to name a few, informed Modi, also the BCCI Vice-President. The eight franchises have been set a bidding limit, minimum of $3.3 million and a maximum of $ 5 million per team.

Each team can have a minimum of 16 players and a maximum number of their choice, though the team should include four players from the ‘catchment areas’, four u-22 players from anywhere in India and eight overseas cricketers, from whom only four can be on the field.

“BCCI’s concern is that there should be a minimum of 32 u-22 players competing in the event,” said Modi, adding that teams investing in four u-22 cricketers within the ‘catchment area’ can buy more players from outside.

Trading of players

No trading of players attached to the IPL franchises will be permitted in the first year. From the second year onwards, trading can take place every February, on a free market basis with other franchises.

“The IPL will have nothing to do with the trading,” said the Chairman, adding that the exchange of players from one team to another can take place with the player’s consent.

“It will be between three parties, the player traded, the buying party and selling party,” he said.

Australian participation

Australian cricketers not part of the squad for the Pakistan tour may figure in the inaugural IPL T20. Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar and Kamran Akmal, Sri Lanka’s Tilakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva, Zimbabwe’s Tatenda Taibu have signed up, the IPL Chairman said, informing that Mohd. Yousuf’s name will be included in the auction pool and in the list of contracted cricketers.

No Bucknor

The list of ICC Elite Panel umpires to officiate in the IPL does not include Steve Bucknor.

The seven elite umpires confirmed are Rudy Koertzen, Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden, Asad Rauf, Mark Benson, Billy Doctrove and Daryl Harper.

Bangalore will host the opening tie between Bangalore and Kolkata on April 18.

Mumbai will host the semifinals (May 30, 31) and final (June 1).

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