By IANS
Mumbai : Richard Madley, one of the leading auctioneers from Britain, will conduct the first ever players’ auction for the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) Wednesday, it was announced here.
Announcing the appointment for the historic auction of some of the world’s best cricketers, IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said Saturday: “I hope this event would be a memorable one for all our franchises who are associated with the mega event.”
Madley, a second-generation auctioneer who started his career with Phillips Auctioneers in London, has over 30 years of international experience. His interest in cricket memorabilia led him to auction a cricket bat as well as overseeing the sale of the famous Brian Johnston Collection.
Now a director of Dreweatts – the United Kingdom’s largest regional auction house – Madley actively conducts sales of paintings, works of art and sporting items across the globe. He is on his first visit to India to conduct the largest cricket auction ever held.
The eight franchises who spent more than $720 million to get the team rights will be present at the auction. They are the Mumbai team (Mukesh Ambani), Bangalore (Vijay Mallya), Kolkata (Shah Rukh Khan), Chandigarh (Preity Zinta), Jaipur (Emerging Media), Hyderabad (Deccan Chronicle), Chennai (India Cements) and Delhi (GMR Group).
While each team will be allowed to register a maximum of eight foreign players, only four will be able to play in the XI.
The tournament, based on Twenty20 matches will feature 59 matches to be played over 44 days starting April 18.