By IANS
Mumbai : Led by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, wicket-keepers had a field day in the players’ auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Wednesday.
In fact, all wicketkeepers grabbed by various franchisee at the over-10 hours’ auction at the Oberoi Hilton here are also known for their pursuits with the bat. Their allround capabilities made them the most wanted by various team owners for IPL’s inaugural Twenty20 tournament, starting April 18 in Bangalore.
Dhoni was the most expensive player with a whopping price tag of $1.5 million and was bagged by India Cements, which owns the Chennai Super Kings. They also bagged Parthiv Patel for $325,000.
Australia’s retiring wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchirst was bagged by Deccan Chronicle for their Hyderabad team for pricy $700,000. Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara and New Zealander Bren McCullam were grabbed by Mohali and Kolkata teams respectively for a similar price tag as that of Gilchrist’s.
India’s Dinesh Karthik, who has to spend most time on the outfield often, as Dhoni prefers to keep wickets, also fetched a price tag of $525,000, bought by Delhi Daredevils. In fact, the Delhi team will also have South African Abraham De Villiers, who was bought for $300,000.
Wicketkeepers’ price list:
Mahendra Dhoni (Ind) 1.5 million Chennai Super Kings
Adam Gilchrist (Aus) 700,000 Hyderabad
Kumar Sangakkara (SL) 700,000 Mohali
Brendon McCullum (NZ) 700,000 Kolkata
Dinesh Karthik (Ind) 525,000 Delhi Daredevils
Mark Boucher (SA) 450,000 Bangalore Royal Challengers
Parthiv Patel (Ind) 325,000 Chennai Super Kings
Abraham de Villiers (SA) 300,000 Delhi Daredevils
Kamran Akmal (Pak) 150,000 Jaipur
Tatenda Taibu (Zim) 125,000 Kolkata