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IPL auction records tumble as Pant and Iyer break $3 million mark

Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million

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Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League history on Sunday when he sold for a record $3.2 million, as teams splashed out on world-class cricketers for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

A total of 577 players are up for grabs at the two-day auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names.

Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad meanwhile had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million.

The 2023 record of 247.5 million rupees Kolkata paid to Australian Mitchell Starc was first breached by Punjab Kings, who the IPL said snapped up Shreyas Iyer for a "handsome" 267.5 million rupees ($3.17 million).

Iyer, 29, captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL crown this year, AFP reported.

New Punjab coach Ricky Ponting, who left Delhi Capitals after this season, said they will make Shreyas captain if he agrees.

"I have worked with him three or four years at Delhi and obviously he is a championship winning captain from last season," Ponting said.

"We have got someone there that can do the job if that's the way we decide to go, so I am delighted to have him back."

Shreyas' record rapidly tumbled.

The IPL reported Lucknow Super Giants paid a "gigantic" 270 million rupees for 27-year-old star keeper Pant.

"Rishabh's history in the IPL and in the sport of cricket is unparallelled in terms of his skill, what he brings to the table," Lucknow owner Shashwat Goenka, said of the record buy.

"I think he came at what we had anticipated for him. We are very excited to have him as part of the squad."

Pant made an impressive return to competitive cricket in this year's IPL after a serious car crash in December 2022, AFP reported.

He came in as captain of Delhi Capitals but he and the team parted ways.

Later on day one Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer hit the jackpot when he went to Kolkata for a whopping $2.81 million after a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Venkatesh, a left-hand batter and right-arm medium pace bowler who was released by Kolkata only to be bought back, became the third-highest buy of the day.

Sizzling start

The auction started on a sizzling note when Indian quick Arshdeep Singh began a bidding war, which ended with Punjab getting the left-arm pace bowler for $2.13 million.

This year, Australian left-arm quick Starc was not retained by Kolkata -- and went to Delhi for $1.39 million.

Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood went for $1.48 million to Bengaluru, while England fast bowler Jofra Archer cost the same amount for the Rajasthan Royals.

New Zealand quick Trent Boult returned to five-time winners Mumbai Indians for $1.48 million.

Gujarat Titans paid $1.87 million for England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, while India pace bowler Mohammed Shami went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for $1.18 million.

Australian David Warner and England's Jonny Bairstow went unsold, but could be brought back later in the auction.

The IPL has generated billions in revenue since its inception in 2008, turning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) into one of the richest governing bodies in sport, AFP reported.

In June 2022 it sold the broadcast rights for five IPL seasons to global media giants for $6.2 billion.

The BCCI has sought to broaden the tournament's profile by staging the auction abroad.

Last year it was held in Dubai, a regular host for international cricket tournaments.

Like Saudi Arabia, it has a large base of prospective fans among its migrant worker population.

Putting the auction on in Jeddah is seen as a win-win for a tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image.

The IPL is a huge earner for Indian cricket and the tournament makes more than $11 billion for the economy each year.

The pioneering IPL helped make Twenty20 cricket hugely popular, spawning copycat events worldwide.

Dates for next year's IPL have not been released but seasons usually run from March to May.

Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million

International Sports

IPL Auction wraps up, after two days of bidding wars in Jeddah

Seven Afghan players were purchased for the 2025 season, including Rashid Khan who was retained by Gujarat Titans for about $2.13 million

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The two-day IPL Auction wrapped up in Jeddah on Monday with 13-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi becoming the youngest to be sold in an IPL auction.

The young star, from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, went to the Rajasthan Royals for $130,500 after coming into the auction at a base price of $35,591.

Meanwhile, seven Afghan players were snapped up for the 2025 season.

Included was Rashid Khan who was retained by Gujarat Titans for about $2.13 million. 

Karim Janat will make his debut at the IPL and was picked up by Gujarat Titans for just over $88,000; Noor Ahmad Lakanwal was signed by Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million; Azmatullah Omarzai was sold to Punjab Kings for $284,000; Rahmanullah Gurbaz was resigned by Kolkata Knight Riders for over $236,000; Fazalhaq Farooqi went to Rajasthan Royals for $236,000 USD); and 18 year old young spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was signed by Mumbai Indians for $568,000.

In total, 16 Afghan players had registered for the 2025 IPL auction.

Overall, big purchases on Day 2 saw veteran fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar go to Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $1.27-million, and Deepak Chahar went to the Mumbai Indians for $1.09-million.

Rishabh Pant broke the auction record on day one when Lucknow Super Giants got the star wicketkeeper for a whopping $3.20 million, while the Punjab Kings snapped up Shreyas Iyer for $3.17 million also on Sunday.

The final day began with a string of unsold players and some frugal buys, before South Africa’s left-arm quick Marco Jansen went to Punjab for $830,000.

The focus then turned to Indian quicks.

Mukesh Kumar went to the Delhi Capitals for $942,000, while pace bowler Akash Deep went to Lucknow for the same price.

Five-time champions Mumbai went big for Chahar, before securing 18-year-old Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar for $569,000.

“Very happy at this position because we have got our playing XII,” Mumbai owner Akash Ambani said.

New Zealand’s veteran Kane Williamson and all-rounder Glenn Phillips both went unsold, although they may be brought back later.

In total, 182 players were sold across the two days, which included 62 overseas players. Teams spent almost $75.72 million to buy the 182 players.

The top 10 signings were as follows:

Rishabh Pant (IND) – $3.20 million – Lucknow Super Giants

Shreyas Iyer (IND) – $3.17 million – Punjab Kings

Venkatesh Iyer (IND) – $2.81 million- Kolkata Knight Riders

Arshdeep Singh (IND) – $2.13 million – Punjab Kings

Yuzvendra Chahal (IND) – $2.13 million – Punjab Kings

Jos Buttler (ENG) – $1.87 million – Gujarat Titans

KL Rahul (IND) – $1.65 million – Delhi Capitals

Jofra Archer (ENG) – $1.48 million –  Rajasthan Royals

Trent Boult (NZL) – $1.48 million – Mumbai Indians

Josh Hazlewood (AUS) – $1.48 million – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

 

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International Sports

IPL Auction: Key players sold to each team on Day 1

The auction process will resume on Monday afternoon and will be broadcast live on Ariana News

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The first day of the two-day IPL player auction, in Jeddah, on Sunday, saw record-breaking bids as franchises fiercely competed for the best talent, “purchasing” a total of 84 players.

Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive player, bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹27 crore ($3.2million).

Sunrisers Hyderabad invested ₹10 crore in Mohammed Shami; adding Ishan Kishan for ₹11.25 crore. In addition, Harshal Patel (₹8 crore) and Adam Zampa (₹2.4 crore) also joined the team.

Kolkata Knight Riders made the second most expensive purchase of the auction, acquiring Venkatesh Iyer for ₹23.75 crore.

KKR added Quinton de Kock (₹3.6 crore) and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (₹2 crore). Anrich Nortje was also snapped up for ₹6.5 crore.

Royal Challengers Bangalore signed Phil Salt for ₹11.5 crore. Jitesh Sharma joined for ₹11 crore, along with all-rounder Liam Livingstone at ₹8.75 crore.

Josh Hazlewood was secured for ₹2.5 crore.

Rajasthan Royals focused on all-round capability with the addition of Jofra Archer for ₹12.5 crore and Wanindu Hasaranga for ₹5.25 crore.

Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana also joined the squad for ₹4.4 crore.

Chennai Super Kings added Devon Conway for ₹6.25 crore, Ravichandran Ashwin for ₹9.75 crore, and Afghanistan’s young spinner Noor Ahmad for ₹10 crore. Other signings include Rahul Tripathi (₹3.4 crore) and Khaleel Ahmed (₹4.8 crore).

Mumbai Indians’ key buy was Trent Boult, who went for ₹12.5 crore.

Punjab Kings emerged as big spenders, acquiring Shreyas Iyer for ₹26.75 crore. Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh were retained at ₹18 crore each. Marcus Stoinis (₹11 crore) and Glen Maxwell (₹4.2 crore).

Delhi Capitals signed KL Rahul for ₹14 crore. T Natarajan joined for ₹10.75 crore, while Harry Brook (₹6.25 crore) and Mitchell Starc (₹11.75 crore) strengthened their squad.

Lucknow Super Giants made Rishabh Pant the highest-priced wicketkeeper in this auction at ₹27 crore. Other significant buys include Avesh Khan (₹9.75 crore) and David Miller (₹7.5 crore).

Gujarat Titans made key acquisitions, signing Jos Buttler for ₹15.75 crore, Mohammed Siraj for ₹12.25 crore, and Kagiso Rabada for ₹10.75 crore.

Prasidh Krishna also joined the squad for ₹9.5 crore.

The auction process will resume on Monday afternoon and will be broadcast live on Ariana News.

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Faf du Plessis smashes 75 off 32 balls in Abu Dhabi T10 League

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South African player Faf du Plessis showcased his batting brilliance by blasting a blistering 75 for Morrisville Samp Army against New York Strikers in the fifth game of the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday.

The 40-year-old reached his fifty in just 22 balls. He remained unbeaten on 75 off 32 balls, hitting five boundaries and six sixes.

Samp Army posted 135-1 in 10 overs, 41 of it coming from Adndries Gous’s bat, and they won the match by 36 runs.

It was one of the four matches played on Friday.

In the other matches, Northern Warriors defeated Delhi Bulls by 7 wickets, with Jonson Charles hitting a fifty.

Team Abu Dhabi thrashed UP Nawabs by 8 wickets after bowling them out for just 51. Mark Adair claimed four wickets. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Zeeshan Naseer picked up two wickets each.

In the last match of the day, Deccan Gladiators beat Ajman Bolts by 20 runs. Gladiators set a target of 138 runs, with Jos Buttler making 60 runs off 22 balls.

In reply, Ajman Bolts fell short on 117 despite captain Mohammad Nabi blasting 43 off 13 balls.

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