50 players will go under hammer on February 6 for the 17 slots in this auction for Indian Premier League contracts. Due to the availability of limited slots, some players may not even get any bids due to their steep price. Franchisees kept their plans close to their chest. According to sources, Bangalore is trying hard for Kevin Pietersen while Kolkata and Hyderabad badly needs a strike bowler. IPL franchisees may not slash their cash carelessly in this round of auction. There will be no mid-season replacements in IPL 2009.
New IPL rule: In case of a tie, both teams will play a one over eliminator to decide match result.
New IPL plans: IPL authorities are planning to extend the scope of the clubs beyond their cities. Rajasthan may play some matches in Ahmedabad while Kolkata may play in Dhaka. Chennai IPL may play some games in Colombo while Mohali may be allowed to play in Lahore in tensions between India and Pakistan subsides.
IPL Auction statistics:
1. Total players available: 50
2. Slots available: Just 17.
3. Total amount to be spent: $13.59 million
IPL Vs Pakistan:
Total players barred by Pakistan board: 10
Players released from IPL contracts: Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt and Mohammed Hafeez.
Retained Pakistan players: Umar Gul, (Knight Riders), Misbah-ul-Haq (Royal Challengers), Kamran Akmal and Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals). But they will not play in IPL 2009 edition.
But IPL authorities allowed franchisees to pick replacements for suspended Pakistani players after the auction. Kolkata and Bangalore can pick a player each while Rajasthan can buy 2 players after the auction as Pakistan player replacements.
Related posts:
Loading ...