Yuvaraj Singh: Costliest Cricketer

 Yuvaraj Singh: Costliest Cricketer

Cariappa sold to Rs.2.40 Crore

Bengaluru: Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh set a new record as he emerged as the costliest ever cricketer in the Indian Premier League by going for a whopping Rs 16 crore (2.67 Million USD) to Delhi Daredevils. At the same time an unheralded K C Cariappa was a surprise pick in the eighth players' auction held at Bengaluru on Monday, 16th February 2015.

In a relatively low key auction, Yuvraj triggered an unexpected bidding war with four teams vying for the 33-year-old cricketer's services before Delhi clinched the deal for a record price.

That Yuvraj, who had been bought for Rs 14 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014, went for such a big price came as a huge surprise given the fact that he is no longer in the Indian team.

"I think we learnt from last year, and that if we want a player we need to push hard for him. Hence we were prepared to go all the way with Yuvraj and it's great for the player as well," Delhi coach Gary Kirsten said justifying the record bid for Yuvraj.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was another player, who commanded a massive price, going to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 10.50 crore. The  auction was  attended by business bigwigs, Bollywood stars like Preity Zinta and former cricketers such as Anil Kumble, Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming and VVS Laxman -- part of various teams' support staff.

A 20-year-old Cariappa, an off-spinner who has not even played a first-class match, was a stunning pick by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Cariappa was bought for a Rs 2.40 crore. It  was perhaps the most shocking buy in an auction where veterans such as Kumar Sangakkara went unsold despite being brought back in the pool thrice.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathew (Rs 7.5 crore to DD), New Zealand pacer Trent Boult (Rs 3.80 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad), Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra (Rs 3.50 crore to DD) and Australian opener Aaron Finch (Rs 3.20 crore to Mumbai Indians) were among those who fetched a good price at the auction.

Sri Lankan stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan, Indian pacer Irfan Pathan, South African batsman Hashim Amla and New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor went unsold in the initial rounds of the auction.