By IANS
Mumbai : Who says spinners have no place in Twenty20 cricket? There were 12 players auctioned at the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Wednesday, who are either genuine spinners or who can turn their arm over effectively as more than back-up bowlers.
Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori and Harbhajan Singh are top-flight spinners, the first three the top three wicket-takers in Test cricket.
Of these, Harbhajan commanded the highest price of $850,000 while New Zealand captain Vettori ($625,000), Muralitharan ($600,000), India Test skipper Kumble ($500,000) and Warne ($450,000) were auctioned for far lower prices.
Former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya ($975,000) is the highest paid among this list of spinners as he is now seen as a dashing batsman, more than useful left-arm bowler and very effective in the field even at this late stage of his career.
Another player who falls in the all-rounder category is West Indies captain Chris Gayle and no wonder he could command an $800,000 tag. Vettori, too, is not far behind as he is good lower-order bat besides being a fielder of merit.
Pakistani Shahid Afridi has been auctioned for a little more than Vettori at $675,000 because of his volatile hitting. Today Afridi is a mainline bowler too as his leg-spin is proving to be pretty potent.
Unlike him, his captain Shoaib Malik ($500,000) started as a bowler who could bat but today he is more a batsman who bowls a bit.
Australian Cameron White (500,000) and India’s Yousuf Pathan (475,000) are also categorized as all-rounders for their spin bowling to add to their swashbuckling batting.
Spinners’ list:
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) $600,000 Chennai Super Kings
Shane Warne (Aus) $450,000 Jaipur
Harbhajan Singh (Ind) $850,000 Mumbai
Daniel Vettori (NZ) $625,000 Delhi
Anil Kumble (Ind) $500,000 Bangalore
Shahid Afridi (Pak) $675,000 Hyderabad
Yousuf Pathan (Ind) $475,000 Jaipur
Graeme Smith (SA) $475,000 Jaipur
Chris Gayle (WI) $800,000 Kolkata
Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) $975,000 Mumbai
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) $250,000 Delhi Daredevils
Cameron White (Aus) $500,000 Bangalore
Shoaib Malik (Pak) $500,000 Delhi Daredevils