Frantic parleys marked the eve of the players’ auction of the multi-million dollar IPL as the contracted Indian players were yet to sign on the dotted line going into Tuesday.
A watershed day in world cricket finally arrives as players turn commodities and go under the hammer
MUMBAI: Frantic parleys marked the eve of the players’ auction of the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) as the contracted Indian players, including the likes of ODI skipper MS Dhoni and Test skipper Anil Kumble, were yet to sign on the dotted line going into Tuesday.
Even as city franchisees were announcing the names of the teams with great fanfare, IPL officials, player agents and their lawyers were frantically trying to reach a consensus on the terms and conditions of the contract. By late Tuesday evening, IPL chairman Lalit Modi promised that there wouldn’t be any lack of star value when 78 players, including all the 33 BCCI-contracted players, go under the hammer at a five-star hotel on Wednesday.
Even as GMR, the Delhi franchisee, announced that it had managed to secure Virender Sehwag as an icon player, Modi admitted that the Indian players Down Under were inking their contracts as he spoke.
“There was an issue, more of a language problem in the contract, of who would be the guarantor. It was whether the contract would have a franchisee guarantee or a BCCI guarantee. It has now been settled that the BCCI would stand guarantee even if a franchisee defaults. The agreement is between the BCCI and the player, though a player will be released to the franchisee once he is auctioned,” Modi explained.
The players to be auctioned will also include Hyderabad batsman VVS Laxman. The Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle, who has bought the city’s franchisee rights, withdrew its request to make the wristy batsman an icon.
Also on the auction list will be Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Mathew Hayden and Michael Hussey. However, franchisees have been notified of the very real possibility of the five and retired Test opener Justin Langer not being available for 2008. The auction is for a three-year period.
“It is currently envisaged that the Australian players will not be available unless the Pakistan tour is cancelled or shortened,” Modi said.
However, the IPL chairman was confident that Wednesday would be a water-shed day for world cricket. “It is the first time the market price for players are going to be derived. We have ensured that every player who has signed up, including the Indians, get a good deal,” Modi said.
For the franchisees too, it will be an interesting day. The representatives of the eight city franchisees, including actress Preity Zinta, were on show at the BCCI headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium. IPL officials and the representatives went through the nitty-gritty of the auctioning process. The first set of players to be auctioned will include Shane Warne, MS Dhoni, Adam Gilchrist, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene.
With sets of players to be auctioned, each containing six players and some up to 14 players, and a 15 to 20 minute break between each set, the auction that is scheduled to begin at 11am is likely to go on for 10 hours.
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