http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/ en Copyright 2008 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:42:18 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

Michael Hussey: on his way to Chennai © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath and Michael Hussey have been bought for US$350,000 by Delhi and Chennai respectively. McGrath went at his base price while Hussey was bought for US$100,000 more. All the rest were sold at their base prices. Mohali bought both Simon Katich (US$200,000) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (US$225,000). Shivnarine Chanderpaul was bought by Bangalore for US$200,000, Loots Bosman went to Mumbai for US$175,000 and Justin Langer to Jaipur for US$200,000. Mohammad Yousuf and Ashwell Prince were the only two players who were withdrawn. Of the 77 players, 75 players were sold at the base price or above. Squads as of now: Jaipur Shane Warne (US$450,000), Graeme Smith (US$475,000), Younis Khan (US$225,000), Kamran Akmal (US$150,000), Yusuf Pathan (US$475,000), Mohammad Kaif (US$675,000), Munaf Patel (US$275,000), Justin Langer (US$200,000) Chennai MS Dhoni (US$1.5 million), Muttiah Muralitharan (US$600,000), Matthew Hayden (US$375,000), Jacob Oram (US$675,000), Stephen Fleming (US$350,000), Parthiv Patel (US$325,000), Joginder Sharma (US$225,000), Albie Morkel (US$675,000), Suresh Raina (US$650,000), Makhaya Ntini (US$200,000), Michael Hussey (US$350,000) Mumbai Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$850,000), Shaun Pollock (US$550,000), Robin Uthappa (US$800,000), Lasith Malinga (US$350,000), Dilhara Fernando (US$150,000), Loots Bosman (US$175,000) Bangalore Rahul Dravid (icon), Anil Kumble (US$500,000), Jacques Kallis (US$900,000), Zaheer Khan (US$450,000), Mark Boucher (US$450,000), Cameron White (US$500,000), Wasim Jaffer (US$150,000), Dale Steyn (US$325,000), Nathan Bracken (US$325,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (US$200,000) Hyderabad Adam Gilchrist (US$700,000), Andrew Symonds (US$1.35 million), Herschelle Gibbs (US$575,000), Shahid Afridi (US$675,000), Scott Styris (US$175,000), VVS Laxman (US$375,000), Rohit Sharma (US$750,000), Chamara Silva (US$100,000), RP Singh (US$875,000), Chaminda Vaas (US$200,000), Nuwan Zoysa (US$110,000) Mohali Yuvraj Singh (icon), Mahela Jayawardene (US$475,000), Kumar Sangakkara (US$700,000), Brett Lee (US$900,000), Sreesanth (US$625,000), Irfan Pathan (US$925,000), Ramesh Powar (US$170,000), Piyush Chawla (US$400,000), Simon Katich (US$200,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (US$225,000) Kolkata Sourav Ganguly (icon), Shoaib Akhtar (US$425,000), Ricky Ponting (US$400,000), Brendon McCullum (US$700,000), Chris Gayle (US$800,000), Ajit Agarkar (US$330,000), David Hussey (US$675,000), Ishant Sharma (US$950,000), Murali Kartik (US$425,000), Umar Gul (US$150,000), Tatenda Taibu (US$125,000) Delhi Virender Sehwag (icon), Daniel Vettori (US$625,000), Shoaib Malik (US$500,000), Mohammad Asif (US$650,000), AB de Villiers (US$300,000), Dinesh Karthik (US$525,000), Farveez Maharoof (US$225,000), Tillakaratne Dilshan (US$250,000), Manoj Tiwary (US$675,000), Gautam Gambhir (US$725,000), Glenn McGrath (US$350,000)]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/no_takers_for_y.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/no_takers_for_y.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:42:18 +0000 News is filtering in that John Buchanan has confirmed he will coach the Kolkata team in the IPL. Buchanan said one of his main roles as franchise coach would be to blend different cultures into a team, AAP reported. "I don't ever see that as a problem, once players merge together as a side you are actually trying to achieve a result," Buchanan said. "What will be interesting is that you will have Australian players, Indian players, New Zealand players, Sri Lankan players, Pakistani players ... and they could all end up in the one franchise. "That will make for an interesting cultural exchange no doubt ... and that will be one of the exciting parts, bringing together cultural differences in a very short period of time." http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/buchanan_for_ko.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/buchanan_for_ko.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:58:08 +0000 All the rounds of bidding are over, but we are left with a few unsold players. The modalities of the re-bidding for them are being decided currently. As per the rules released yesterday teams will be allowed to bid below the base price. The list of unsold players: Glenn McGrath, Mohammad Yousuf, Tatenda Taibu, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ashwell Prince, Loots Bosman, and Mike Hussey http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/resale.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/resale.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:36:07 +0000

Ishant Sharma was bought for nearly a million dollars by Kolkata © Getty Images

Ishant Sharma’s superb performance in Australia was rewarded with a cool bid of $50,000 short of a million, his base price being $150,000. With that he became Kolkata’s biggest draft, sending Sourav Ganguly into the million club. RP Singh was the other big draft among the bowlers: Hyderabad bought him for $875,000, which rose from his base price of $200,000. Piyush Chawla, Dale Steyn, Murali Kartik, and Munaf Patel were the only other bowlers whose final bid was more than twice their respective base prices. Chawla went for $400,000 (base price: $125,000) to Mohali, Steyn for $325,000 (base price: 150,000) to Bangalore, Kartik for $425,000 (base price: $200,000) to Kolkata, and Munaf for $275,000 (base price: $100,000) to Jaipur. Other tradings in the eighth round: Nathan Bracken bought by Bangalore for $325,000 (base price: $225,000), Makhaya Ntini by Chennai for his base price of $200,000, Lasith Malinga by Mumbai for $350,000 ($200,000), Chaminda Vaas by Hyderabad for his base price of $200,000, Ramesh Powar by Mohali for $170,000 (base price: $150,000), Umar Gul by Kolkata for his base price of $150,000, Dilhara Fernando by Mumbai for his base price of $150,000, and Nuwan Zoysa by Hyderabad for $110,000 (base price: $100,000).]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/kolkata_open_up.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/kolkata_open_up.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:23:42 +0000 News comes in regarding Mohammad Yousuf. The matter was heard today before the Hon’ble Arbitrator Mr. Justice B. P. Saraf (Retd) and the tribunal has not vacated the stay on Yousuf from taking part in any other rival league of the Indian Cricket League, such as the IPL by any further orders. As per the order of 15th December, 2007 Mohammad Yousuf is restrained from taking part in any other rival league of the ICL such as the IPL and to maintain status quo as of that date. http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/yousufs_ipl_par.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/yousufs_ipl_par.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:51:38 +0000

VVS Laxman will captain the Hyderabad side © Getty Images

PK Iyer, the CEO of the Hyderabad franchise, praised the “incredible team spirit” of VVS Laxman, who, according to Iyer, had withdrawn his “icon” status for the Hyderabad team. The act now has given them a bigger budget for buying players. Had Laxman become the icon player for Hyderabad, he would have got 15% more salary than the next-highest-priced cricketer. Moreover, Hyderabad have decided to make Laxman the captain of the side. Iyer said: “He [Laxman] went ahead and gave up the icon status in the interest of the team. “He said, ‘I will keep the team ahead’. He said he wanted the team to have a larger budget and he said he didn’t mind not being an icon as long as he led Hyderabad.”]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/laxman_the_team.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/laxman_the_team.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:30:03 +0000

Gautam Gambhir: Delhi's costliest player © Getty Images

One of the most competitive rounds of bidding, according to Lalit Modi, ended up rewarding India’s Twenty20 heroes – Robin Uthappa, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir – and also Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Manoj Tiwary. David Hussey was the surprising pick too in the round of batsmen. Uthappa went for the highest price in the seventh round of bidding: grossing $800,000 (base price: $200,000) from Mumbai. Sharma went to Hyderabad for a sum of $750,000 (base price: $150,000), and Gambhir to home team Delhi for $725,000 (base price: $200,000). Delhi dished out $675,000 for Manoj Tiwary, whose base price was $100,000. Uttar Pradesh’s Kaif and Raina drew a big purse too, Kaif getting $675,000 (base price: $125,000) from Jaipur and Raina $650,000 (same base price as Kaif) from Chennai. Kolkata bought Hussey for $625,000, his base price being $125,000. Other players traded during this round: VVS Laxman by Hyderabad for $375,000 (base price: $150,000), Wasim Jaffer by Bangalore for his base price of $150,000, and Chamara Silva by Hyderabad for his base price of $100,000. This was also the round during which many players stayed unsold: none of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ashwell Prince, and Loots Bosman inspired the buyers enough.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/indias_twenty20.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/indias_twenty20.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:23:33 +0000 So who were the players that the franchises bid fiercely for? Mahendra Dhoni and Andrew Symonds, obviously, as their signing amounts of US$1.5m and US$1.35m respectively suggest. Lalit Modi said there was an intense bidding for the two. "Dhoni was bid across the table by every team, his went to every team. Symonds was bid pretty much all across too." Modi also said he could not make out what was going through the minds of the bidders, and what their strategy was. "It all depends. Everybody is trying to build a team strategically. There are players whose price has gone up from a base price of US$100,000 to about US$475,000-US$500,000. "Some players have gone surprisingly low, some have gone surprisingly very very high. The rationale is not for me to judge, it's for the team owners to judge." http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/the_most_sought.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/the_most_sought.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:40:14 +0000

Irfan joins Lee at Mohali © Getty Images

Irfan Pathan was Mohali’s big pick for US$925,000, becoming their most expensive player after Yuvraj Singh, the icon player. Albie Morkel, Cameron White, and Yusuf Pathan were the other three allrounders who made big leaps from their base prices. Morkel was bought by Chennai for US$675,000 (base price: US$225,000), White for US$500,000 by Bangalore (base price: US$100,000) and Yusuf for US$475,000 by Jaipur (base price: US$100,000). Interestingly Yusuf, who will be playing with Shane Warne in Jaipur, cost more than Warne. Scott Styris surprisingly didn’t draw any bidders for more than his base price, and went to Hyderabad for US$175,000. The other allrounders picked during round six: Ajit Agarkar by Kolkata for US$350,000 (base price: US$200,000), Shaun Pollock by Mumbai for US$550,000 (base price: US$200,000), Farveez Maharoof by Delhi for US$225,000 (base price: US$150,000), Tillakaratne Dilshan by Delhi for US$250,000 (base price: US$150,000), and Joginder Sharma by Chennai for US$225,000 (base price: US$100,000).]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/mohali_pay_big.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/mohali_pay_big.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:20:00 +0000 Meanwhile, an interesting announcement from Andrew Symonds: He is likely to pull out of the Pakistan tour, which explains why he has attracted a far higher bid than Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden. Ponting went for US$400,000 and Hayden for US$375,000. Though Symonds' stand was made public after he had been signed on by Hyderabad, one wonders whether the franchises didn’t already know of it. That will explain to a large extent why the bidding for Symonds went as high as US$1.35m. That said, Ponting and Hayden are not bad investments at all. Because if the Pakistan tour is cancelled, Kolkata and Chennai will have hit the jackpot. And if they are not available, or available for less than four matches, they will receive only 25% of their salary. http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/aussie_acquisit.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/aussie_acquisit.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:28:51 +0000

Dinesh Karthik: the most expensive wicketkeeper outside the star-list © Getty Images

Dinesh Karthik proved to be the most expensive wicketkeeper outside the star ones - Dhoni, Gilchrist and McCullum. Delhi bought Karthik for US$525,000 (base price: US$200,000), and they bought AB de Villiers too, for US$300,000 (base price: US$200,000). de Villiers, it must be remembered, started off his international career as a wicketkeeper. Chennai, too, bought a second wicketkeeper in Parthiv Patel for US$325,000 (base price: US$150,000). Kamran Akmal was bought by Jaipur for his reserve price of US$150,000. Tatenda Taibu, whose base price was US$125,000, didn't attract any buyers.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/playing_for_kee.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/playing_for_kee.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:03:42 +0000

Preity hushes up the media © Getty Images

Just the sight of Preity Zinta, who came out with Lalit Modi to make the latest announcements, sent the photographers into a frenzy. Cameras whirred, flashes went off without any signs of stopping. Modi requested them to stop after they had had enough so that he could go on with further announcements, but the photographers just wouldn’t stop. He finally lost his cool and threatened to not give any further updates, and that was when Zinta intervened. “We have more rounds of bidding going on, so can you please co-operate?", she said. Then another “please” with a flashing smile. And as if she had turned off an imaginary switch, there was silence and Modi went on with his announcements peacefully. Given the chaos out here, with about 200 (a conservative estimate) journalists in a cramped space fit for 75, it might not be such a bad idea to have Zinta accompany Modi every time and handle the media. It worked like a charm the last time. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/zinta_works_lik.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/zinta_works_lik.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:59:46 +0000

Jacques Kallis: on his way to Bangalore © Getty Images

The Bangalore franchise have bought Jacques Kallis for US$900,000. It means Rahul Dravid, their icon player, becomes the fifth cricketer to break the million-dollar barrier in four rounds of bidding so far. Chris Gayle became Kolkata’s highest successful bid - US$800,000 - meaning that Sourav Ganguly, their icon, would be worth at least US$920,000 now. The other tradings in the fourth round: Stephen Fleming bought by Chennai for his base price of US$350,000, Graeme Smith by Jaipur for US$475,000, Herschelle Gibbs by Hyderabad for US$575,000, Shoaib Malik by Delhi for US$500,000, Shahid Afridi by Hyderabad for US$675,000, Younis Khan by Jaipur for his base price of US$225,000, Mohammad Asif by Delhi for US$650,000, Zaheer Khan by Bangalore for US$450,000, Sreesanth by Mohali for US$625,000. Zaheer Khan might be a tricky buy for Bangalore, given his fitness worries: he has been out of action since the Boxing Day Test. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/kallis_sells.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/kallis_sells.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:49:36 +0000 Next up for auction are: Stephen Fleming, Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Mohammad Asif, Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Sreesanth http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/now_selling.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/now_selling.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:22:16 +0000 With Andrew Symonds grossing $1.35m, Mahendra Dhoni, with a whopping $1.5m paycheque from Chennai, looks likely to be the highest-priced cricketer before the day ends. That Chennai have no “icon” player - who by right will get 15 per cent more than the highest-paid cricketer – could have played a role in the high bid, and also that the Indians will make bigger brands. The question right now is: will anybody get more than Dhoni? Even Sachin Tendulkar? Mumbai’s highest scalp right now is Sanath Jayasuriya – worth $975,000. Since they have procured Harbhajan Singh for $850,000, they can’t be going for another high-priced cricketer. They are now obliged to pay Tendulkar a minimum of $1,121,250 (115 per cent of what Jayasuriya is getting). If they pay Tendulkar the minimum stipulated amount, they would have spent $2,946,250 on three players alone. So it depends on what bargains they can work out with the rest of the squad how much more Mumbai can play Tendulkar. Most likely, if somebody is to get a higher bid than Dhoni, the bid will have to come from a side that has no icon player. But it is open to doubt as to who will make a bigger brand-player combination than Dhoni. Currently Virender Sehwag stands a chance of outearning Dhoni, if the next best player picked by Delhi fetches more than $13.04m http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/dhoni_prime_pro.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/breakingnews/archives/2008/02/dhoni_prime_pro.php IPL Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:15:03 +0000