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Showing posts with the label Indian Premier League

Dhoni bags $1.5 million at the auction of players for IPL

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Auctioneer Richard Madley could not have imagined the impact of his words on the glittering gathering at the plush Hilton Towers here on Wednesday. Neither could his vast experience at running auctions have prepared him for the frenzy that was to follow his announcement that India one day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had raked in a cool $1.5 million (Rs 6 crore) to top the charts at the auction of players for the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Marking the dawn of a new era in cricket, the bid process saw the Deccan Chronicle's Hyderabad team emerge as the most balanced of the eight outfits, with Andrew Symonds its star buy at $1.35 million (Rs 5.4 crore). The colourful Symonds will be joined by iconic Aussie wicket keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist ($700,000), Pakistan's explosive batsman Shahid Afridi ($675,000) in a team led by the stylish Venkatasai Laxman. Chennai forked out the massive amount spent on Twenty20 world championship winner Dhoni, and he was

BCCI launched the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League

Twenty20 is the flavour of the season and it received an official stamp of approval once and for all with the Board of Control for Cricket in India launching the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League here on Thursday. The Indian league will be part of the Champions Twenty20 League which will feature India, Australia, England and South Africa and will be played in October 2008. The IPL, to be held in April 2008, has been modelled on successful American leagues Major League Soccer and National Basketball Association wherein the eight teams will be like franchises. The teams will have corporate backing and will also get a share of centralized revenue. The venture not only has the full support of the International Cricket Council, it already has roped in three big names in contemporary international cricket. Australian legends Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming have agreed to be a part of Indian Premier League. What is staggering about