Rising Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell stole the thunder from his illustrious compatriots, fetching a whopping USD one million (Rs 5.3 crore), while Abhishek Nayar and R.P. Singh also invited unexpectedly high bids in the players’ auction for the sixth edition of the IPL here today.
The 24-year-old Maxwell was bought by Mumbai Indians after fierce bidding war with new entrants Hyderabad Sunrisers in an otherwise low-key auction where 108 players went under the hammer.
“He is an upcoming youngster. He can bat, bowl and I think he is a great fielder. We had thought of some names before we came here and he was one of them,” said Mumbai owner Nita Ambani on the logic behind making such a high bid for the youngster who is just eight ODIs and nine T20s old in the international arena.
Currently playing against the West Indies in an ODI series, Maxwell was ironically out for a first-ball duck in Perth while franchises bid for him here.
Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar, who performed consistently in the domestic arena, went to Pune Warriors for USD 675,000 (Rs 3.5 crore), a huge improvement on his base price of USD 100,000. Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera also fetched Rs 3.5 crore from Hyderabad Sunrisers, while Indian paceman R.P. Singh managed to get a good deal from Royal Challengers Bangalore, who bought him for USD 400,000 (Rs 2.1 crore).
It was a surprise given that his base price was USD 100,000 and he has not done anything significant to merit such a high price tag. South African all-rounder Johan Botha was bought by Delhi Daredevils for USD 450,000 (Rs 2.3 crore).
Australian captain Michael Clarke and his predecessor Ricky Ponting, both of whom were marquee players, did not generate much interest among the franchises. The two were sold on their base price of USD 400,000 (Rs 2.1 crore).