The IPL Player Auction 2012, held in Bengaluru ahead of the tournament’s fifth season, was marked by a whopping USD 2 million dollar bid for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja made by two franchises, Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers. The player was sold to the Chennai franchise on the basis of tie-breaker involving a silent bid.

Medium pacer Vinay Kumar was the other big purchase at the auction conducted by auctioneer Richard Madley. The Karnataka bowler was picked up by home franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore for USD 1 million.

Each of the franchises had a purse of USD 2 million to shop with. The franchises can use the remaining purse only to buy uncapped players during the trading window which opens on February 6.

Auction highlights:

Round 1

• Ravindra Jadeja was the most sought after player in the first stage of IPL Player Auction 2012 involving marquee players. Starting at a base price of USD 100,000, he was eventually bought for USD 2 million by Chennai Super Kings after winning a tie-breaker against Deccan Chargers.

• Kolkata Knight Riders snapped the swashbuckling New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum for USD 900,000. McCullum was a part of the Kolkata franchise for the first three seasons.

• Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan will now play for Royal Challengers Bangalore after being bought by them for USD 220,000. Along with Daniel Vettori, RCB, perhaps have the most formidable spin-pair.

• Delhi Daredevils secured the services of former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (base price 300,000) for USD 1.4 million. He joins another new recruit at the franchise this season, along with Kevin Pietersen.

• England pace bowler James Anderson was the only player among the first five names to remain unsold.

Round 2

• Indian medium pacer R Vinay Kumar attracted the highest bid, that of USD 1 million, in the second stage of the IPL Player Auction 2012. Bangalore boy Vinay, who was a part of the Kochi Tuskers Kerala team last season, was bought by his home team Royal Bangalore Challengers after entering the auction at the base price of USD 100,000.

• West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine was another big catch, with Kolkata Knight Riders securing his services for USD 700,000.

• The second stage of the auction saw 43 players, divided into five categories – batsmen, wicketkeepers, allrounders, fast bowlers and spinners – go under the hammer. Out of these, 13 players, including five Indians, found bidders.

• RP Singh went to the Mumbai Indians for USD 600,000 after entering the bid at a base price of USD 200,000. Rajasthan Royals bought S Sreesanth for his base price of USD 400,000.

• Out of the nine batsmen, South African Herschelle Gibbs went to Mumbai Indians for USD 50,000, while Australia’sBrad Hodge (BP USD 200,000) was taken by Rajasthan Royals for USD 475,000.

• Deccan Chargers added wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel to their squad at USD 650,000 and the Rajasthan franchise went with Sri Lankan keeper Dinesh Chandimal for a base price of USD 50,000.

• Among the allrounders, West Indies’ Andre Russell, who entered at a base price of USD 50,000, was eventually grabbed by the Delhi Daredevils for USD 450,000. Australia’s Mitchell Johnson will don the Mumbai Indians blues, after they bought him at his base price of USD 300,000.

• Apart from Narine, Ramesh Powar (USD 160,000 to Kings XI Punjab), Australia’s Brad Hogg (USD 180,000 to Rajasthan Royals) and South Africa’s Robin Peterson (USD 100,000 to Mumbai Indians) were the other spin bowlers to be bought in the second round.

Round 3

• 22-year-old Sri Lankan fast bowler Thisara Perera struck big at the auction, attracting a final bid of USD 650,000 from Mumbai Indians. His selling price was significantly higher than his base price of USD 50,000.

• Australian medium pacer Daniel Harris will play in IPL 2012 as a Deccan Charger after the team from Hyderabad shelled out USD 70,000 for him in the third round. His bidding started off at USD 50,000.

• Another young Australian pacer, James Faulkner, was snapped up by Kings XI Punjab for USD 190,000 after entering the bid at a base price of USD 100,000.

• All-rounder Azhar Mahmood will be the only player from Pakistan to play in IPL 2012 after Kings XI Punjab bought him for USD 200,000, double his base price.

• A sensational Test debut in 2011 has earned young South African pacer Marchant de Lange his first IPL contract. Marchant was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for his base price of USD 50,000.

• Having played for Trinidad & Tobago in the Champions League Twenty20, 23-year-old medium pacer Kevon Cooperwill now make his IPL debut. He was bought by Mumbai Indians for his base price, USD 50,000.

Re-auctioned players

• Fourteen out of the 30 players who went unsold in the previous rounds were put under the hammer for the second time. Only two of them managed to find a bid in the second attempt.

• Stylish young West Indies batsman Darren Bravo found a bidder in Deccan Chargers who secured his services for his base price of USD 100,000.

• New Zealand all-rounder Doug Bracewell, who made an impressive international debut in 2011, is set to have his first taste of the IPL at Delhi Daredevils who made the first and successful bid for him, of USD 50,000.

Summary

• In all, 25 players from across the world were bought by the franchises, with MI and RR bidding successfully for five players each. DD, KKR, KXIP and DC snapped up three players each while RCB took two. CSK used their entire purse of USD 2 million in their successful bid for Jadeja.

• Some of the big names that failed to find bidders were James Anderson, Ian Bell, Owais Shah, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann from England; Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Mark Boucher from South Africa; and Steven Smith, Xavier Doherty and Peter Siddle from Australia. Sri Lankan spinners Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath too remained unsold, as did West Indies’ Ravi Rampaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Ireland’s World Cup 2011 hero Kevin O’ Brien too failed to attract bidders.

• Among the Indian players who remained unsold were middle-order veteran VVS Laxman and Punjab medium pacer VRV Singh.