350 players, 10 bidders, $74.3 million to spend

It’s time for cricket business. The next two days will see the owners of the 10 Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket franchisees descending to the garden city with big bucks to pick the finest cricketing talents in what could be a bidding war. A total of 350 international and domestic cricketers are up for grabs to play in the cash-rich IPL 4 to be held from April 8 to May 22.

Glitz and glamour will also be the highlight over the weekend with the business moguls like liquor baron Vijay Mallya (Royal Challengers), World’s fourth richest man Mukesh Ambani (Mumbai Indians), the Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan (Kolkata Knight Riders), and the glamorous Preity Zinta (Kings XI Punjab) and Shilpa Shetty (Rajasthan Royals) are set to dazzle the ball room. Barring the twelve players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli have been retained by their previous franchises.

The cap on spending for a franchisee is $9 million and for those who have retained players, will have less bucks. This means Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have retained four players each, will have only $4.5m. Rajasthan Royals, who have retained Shane Warne and Shane Watson will have $5.9m in their pocket. Del­hi Daredevils, who kept Virender Sehwag and Royal Challengers Bangalore, who retained Virat Kohli will each have $7.2m. While the rest have a full pocket of $9m.

Royal Challengers skipper Anil Kumble, who changed the fortunes of the team, propelling it to the final of the second edition and semi-final last year, is the latest player to opt out, owing to professional committments.

However, Kumble will continue to be a mentor for the Vijay Mallya’s Reds. The other senior players, to be opt out are Australian trio of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson. Chennai’s Australian import Hayden, who mesmerised the crowd with his Mongoose bat last season will be badly missed. The other absentees are Glenn McGrath, former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who signed for $1.55 million with the Chennai Super Kings in 2009, has retired.

They are among 21 players with the highest reserve price of $400,000 and eight cricketers in the $300,000 bracket.  The fourth edition will turn out to be a new begining forBrian Lara, who played for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), and England’s Ashes hero James  Anderson. West Indian legend Lara may not have played competetive cricket for four years but he is one of the 21 names to attract the highest reserve pri­ce of  $400,000. The players auction was initially scheduled for November but with ongoing legal dispute between the BCCI and the two expelled franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, the bidding had to be postponed.

The fourth edition of the Twenty20 leag­ue can be considered as fresh start as it will be without its founding father Lalit Modi, who was ousted for financial illigalities. But Modi exited making the league a bigger, making it a ten-team affair adding Kochi and Pune Warriors to the already existing eight. The auction will be held under the watchful eyes of Richard Madley, a professional auctioneer from England.