Pakistan`s Afridi top prize in Bangladesh Twenty20 auction

Dhaka: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was the hottest property in an auction held for the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 tournament on Thursday, but English spinner Monty Panesar and former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs failed to attract bids.

Afridi was sold to the Dhaka franchise for USD 700,000 after some intense bidding involving five of the six franchises for the February 10-28 tournament, which is based on the successful Indian Premier League model. The all-rounder, however, will only be available for the final two days of the opening BPL campaign as he is on national team duty against England in the United Arab Emirates. Tournament organisers said the money would be given to the players proportionately for the matches they are available. Quick-scoring West Indian batsman Chris Gayle, who is available from February 14, was another to attract attention with Barisal paying USD 551,000 for him. His compatriots Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard also created a stir as they were sold for USD 360,000 and USD 300,000 to Rajshahi and Dhaka franchises respectively. A total of 111 overseas players and 80 local cricketers were put on auction with teams given a maximum budget of USD 2million and able to buy no more than eight overseas players. Pakistan`s Shoaib Malik (Chittagong USD 150,000) West Indies` Dwayne Bravo (Chittagong USD 150,000), Australia`s Brad Hodge (Barisal USD 140,000), Sri Lanka`s Sanath Jayasuriya (Rajshahi USD 110,000) and Muttiah Muralitharan (Chittagong USD 100,000) were among others to go for big money. No Indian players were included in the auction. Along with Panesar and Gibbs, New Zealand`s Scott Styris and Lou Vincent failed to attract a buyer. Ireland`s wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O`Brien was the most expensive player from the associate nations with Khulna paying USD 80,000 for the batsman. Bangladesh internationals Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahriar Nafees and Alok Kapali had been selected as icon players for six franchises and were excluded from auction. All-rounder Nasir Hossain was the most-sought-after Bangladeshi in the auction with Khulna sealing his signature for USD 200,000. India-based Game On Sports Management will run the tournament after winning the bid from the Bangladesh Cricket Board for six years for USD 44.33 million. Bureau Report