IPL AUCTION TO START......FIRST PHASE TO END...20 MORE TO TAKEN......GAMBHIR TO THE FIRST TOP RATE.....MI TAKE SYMONDS,ROHIT.......uction: Kochi buys RP Singh for $500,000 | Irfan Pathan goes to Delhi Daredevils for $1.9 million | Sreesanth goes to Kochi IPL for Rs 4.1 crore |Chris Gayle goes unsold | Brendon McCullum goes to Kochi IPL for Rs 2.2 crore | Daniel Vettori goes to RCB for Rs 2.5 crore| VVS Laxman goes to Kochi for Rs 1.8 crore | IPL Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly unsold in the first round of IPL auctions...

NEW DELHI: Delhi Daredevils bagged Irfan Pathan for $1.9 million after Pune Warriors bought Robin Uthappa for $2.1 million as the world's leading cricket players go under the hammer for the Indian Premier League auction in Bangalore on Saturday.

Who got whom | Team Composition | Players to go under hammer

The auction went for lunch break after two exciting session and will convene again at 1430 IST.

Team Kochi bought their home boy S Sreesanth for $900,000 after bidding VVS Laxman for $400,000.

Mumbai Indians bagged the services of Rohit Sharma for $2 million and Team Kochi bought pacer RP Singh for $500,000.

Kolkata Knight Riders bought Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan for a whopping $2.4 million and $2.1 million respectively at the beginning of the auction for the fourth season.

Rahul Dravid went to Rajasthan Royals for $500,000 as Kings XI Punjab bought Adam Gilchrist for $900,000.

South African all-rounder Johan Botha outbid his skipper Graeme Smith as Royals bought Botha for $950,000 whereas Smith went to Pune for $500,000.

Surprisingly former India and KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly find no takers and went unsold whereas Jacque Kallis was bought by KKR for $1.1 million.

New Zealanders Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum went to Rajasthan and Kochi respectively for $550,000 and $475,000.

After Ganguly, former KKR Chris Gayle got no takers at the auction.

Mumbai also bought Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds for $850,000 as Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara went to Deccan Chargers for $700,000.

Yuvraj Singh was bought by new team Pune Warriors for $1.8 million and Kochi team bagged Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene for $1.5 million.

Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers bought South African batsman AB de Villiers for $1.1 million, Zaheer Khan for $900,000 and Sri Lankan all-rounder Dilshan for $650,000.

Rajasthan Royals then bought the services of New Zealand's Ross Taylor for $1 million whereas Kevin Pietersen went to Deccan Chargers for $650,000.

Proceedings at a luxury hotel in the IT hub of Bangalore, presided over by a professional auctioneer from Britain, begin both days at 11:00 local time (0530 GMT) and broadcast live on an Indian television channel.

The annual IPL tournament revolutionised the sport when it burst onto the scene in 2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, Twenty20 matches and Bollywood glamour.

But its fortunes dipped dramatically last year after allegations of massive corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as well as secret deals to hide teams' real owners, and even links to India's criminal underworld.

IPL founder Lalit Modi -- whose brash style personified the event -- was thrown out by the BCCI, the sport's governing body in India, over accusations about his conduct and organisers hope this year will be fresh start.

The tournament, to be held from April 8 to May 22, is expected to feature 10 teams after Indian courts overturned the expulsion of the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.

The BCCI, as part of its attempt to improve transparency in the IPL, threw out both teams in October for not declaring changes in their ownership structures.

The ensuing legal battle led to their probable return -- though no official announcement has yet been made.

Two new teams have joined the league: Kochi, who have also been involved in a nasty ownership squabble, and the Pune Warriors.

The players' auction was due to be held in November but was delayed amid confusion about the size and format of this year's tournament, which will start just six days after the end of the World Cup co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Twelve players have been retained by their original franchises, with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni staying with the Chennai Super Kings and Shane Warne and Shane Watson sticking with the Rajasthan Royals.

Some top cricketers have opted out of the IPL's fourth season, including the Australian trio of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, and former India captain Anil Kumble.

Other notable absentees include former Australian stars Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath. Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who signed for $1.55 million with the Chennai Super Kings in 2009, has retired.

Pakistan's cricketers will continue to miss out on the IPL bonanza after none of them was included for the auction.

Their players participated in the inaugural IPL, but were forced out of the 2009 season due to security concerns in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, and were then ignored for the 2010 tournament.

Modi, meanwhile, faces a government probe over financial irregularities and has also had a criminal case registered against him by the BCCI for the misappropriation of 4.68 billion rupees ($106 million).

He denies all charges and now lives in self-imposed exile in London, surrounded by bodyguards, as he claims his life is in danger from Mumbai-based gangsters linked to illegal gambling.
BANGALORE: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly became the first player to be unsold in the players' auction for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ganguly, who was in Kolkata Knight Riders, had a base price of $400,000. He failed to attract any buyer at the auction being held at the ITC Royal Gardenia. Ganguly was earlier placed in the $200,000 price bracket, but he later increased his base price to $400,000, which is the highest bracket for marquee players in the league.
Ganguly, who was the oldest Indian player up for auction at 38 years and six months, had a tough time with Knight Riders and was also removed from captaincy in the second edition in South Africa.
Ganguly, however, came back to lead the side after Dave Whatmore took over the coaching from John Buchanan last year but Knight Riders were not interested in Ganguly and released him for the fourth edition.
During Ganguly's auction, the spotlight was on the Knight Riders' table, but the team's think tank looked down as his name was repeatedly called before he went to the unsold basket.
There were reports that Sahara-owned Pune Warriors may buy him at a base price, but they may have changed their mind after Ganguly hiked the price.

BANGALORE: The explosive Yusuf Pathan is turning out to be the hottest property ahead of the 2011 Indian Premier League player auctions beginning Saturday in Bangalore.

Starting at a base price of $300,000, Pathan can easily expect bids for him to rocket to a million or maybe more.
At least six of the 10 franchises in the auction have no qualms admitting that they'll go as far as possible to get him. "That's where the franchises heading into the auction with a full purse of $9m will have an advantage," says a franchise official, who claims to have even told Pathan that they'll bid for him.

Five franchises — Kings XI Punjab, Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers, Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi IPL — head into the auction with the full purse of $9m.

The remaining five have retained players and Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in particular are left with just $4.5m. Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils can spend $7.2m while Rajasthan Royals have $5.7m left in their kitty.

"It'll be surprising if franchises opt to spend a million or more on any player like it has happened on previous occasions. That's exactly the reason why most franchises didn't bother to exercise their right to retain their marquee players. Very few players will be in such huge demand ," says a team owner.

Pathan certainly seems to be one of them. But Pathan aside, the franchise owners refuse to speak on who they plan to buy at the great Indian cricket bazaar. There's suddenly an air of absolute secrecy surrounding the men who are going to write the cheques. TOI has learnt specifically that certain top Indian players have been assured by certain franchises that they'll be picked. Yet nobody's willing to speak about it as yet.

It won't be surprising if Sourav Ganguly shifts from Kolkata to Pune and ditto for Yuvraj Singh who has fallen out big time with Kings XI Punjab. Kochi IPL may give everything possible to take home Gautam Gambhir who wasn't retained by Delhi Daredevils. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will want their top bowlers — Zaheer Khan and Muttiah Muralitharan — who they couldn't retain. It is only Deccan Chargers who have refused to speak about their interest in any name out of the 350-member list.

BANGALORE: There is no business like show business. Wait a minute, perhaps there is; at least that's the promise.

After all, the IPL is bigger than the normal show, it's something the stars of the show business have paid through their noses to get into rather than the other way around. With the stars are some of the biggest business honchos, whose presence goes to show that there are bucks to be made as well and not just spent.

The mood was buoyant too at the wellappointed Royal Gardenia, the official hotel for the two - day Players Auction that kicks off on Saturday ahead of the fourth edition of the IPL. If Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra walked in hand in hand, a few others seemed to be walking hand in glove, perhaps, just perhaps, having arrived at a joint strategy.

The flamboyant Vijay Mallya, straight out of a holiday in Maldives, made a dramatic last-minute entry as usual , posing for pictures with Ness Wadia just before joining the briefing by the BCCI for the franchisees, all 10 of whom were very much present . All were well represented by a set of foreign coaches, with Robin Singh of Mumbai Indians being the exception.

To a man, the excitement was palpable. Come 11.00 am on Saturday morning, as much as $75.9 million ($14.1 million of the total purse of $90 million for the 10 teams has gone in the retaining of 12 players) will be traded, give or take a million or five for the uncapped players who are not part of the auction.

With serious money comes serious thought and that seems to be the common thread this time around, with all the franchisees, including to an extent the two new ones, swearing they are better prepared. "There may have been a lot of uncertainty around the auction, the number of teams, so on and so forth, but that hasn't hampered our preparation in any way," said a team official, who like most others spoke on condition of anonymity. "We now know how the whole concept works, the last three years have given us the knowledge," was the chorus.

Only one man begged to differ slightly. "Yes, now we are more experienced but let's admit one thing, sometimes too much knowledge can be a hindrance. We went in blind the first time and didn't do too badly," he said.

Amidst all the brouhaha ahead of the big days, one aspect stood out. No official wanted to reveal the wish list, lest it push up the price up of their wanted players. At the same time some tried to push a name or two they were least interested in, just so that someone falls for the trap, the price is raised and the particular team's kitty reduced.

"Don't take us for fools," said a former cricketer, associated with a franchise, the IPL being a boon for much-retired cricketers too. One other thing was made clear.

This time around, the most studied factor, even more than the talent of the concerned player, is his availability. "Believe me the spreadsheets have been more about who will be available for how long than the money. That perhaps is the biggest lesson we have learnt," said the player.

BANGALORE: One day he's busy consulting lawyers on the pending case against Lalit Modi; the next day he's busy meeting the Chennai police. In the meantime, he's also heading to Mumbai and Dubai for BCCI/ICC meetings. He's also the convener of the BCCI selection committee, president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, chief of the national chess association, ratifying authority in the IPL governing council, BCCI secretary, its president elect and — before one loses track — the owner of an IPL team.

That for you is N Srinivasan, the chairman and MD of Tamil Nadubased India Cements.

Srinivasan is expected to sit in the auction room to bid for Chennai Super Kings like he did last time. And if that happens, he won't be seated too far from the owners of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab — the two franchises that he (along with the board president) wanted out at any cost. CSK officials refused to confirm if Srinivasan would attend the IPL auction or not. However, there are other franchises who are not happy with this arrangement. "In the position that he enjoys, he knows in advance what the rules are going to be and every other important detail. The rest (of the franchises) are being briefed about all rules and regulations just 12 hours before the auction begins. How fair is that?" says a franchise official.
The ten franchises were called for a briefing on rules and regulations of the auction at 7 pm on Friday . "Earlier, there used to be regular workshops for franchises, so much coordination where ideas could be exchanged or conceived. This time, nobody has any clue till the last hour," he says, adding "except perhaps him (Srinivasan)."

One franchise in particular, which is waiting to know more about the uncapped players rule, believes it is a deliberate ploy to announce all rules so late.