IPL Players Auction 2021 Highlights: Chris Morris becomes costliest buy; Gowtham, Jamieson attract big bids

Preview: The player auction for the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) takes place on Thursday in the southern Indian city of Chennai, with 292 players set to go under the hammer in the event. The auction, in which international stars such as Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Moeen Ali as well as Indians such as Harbhajan Singh are expected to attract big bids, marks the first major event in the build-up to this year’s edition of the cash-rich league, which is expected to return to India after having taken place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier the full players’ list for the 2021 Auction was unveiled and as many as 10 players — including Indians Harbhajan and Kedar Jadhav — were put in the highest reserve price bracket of Rs 2 crore. Another 12 had the Rs 1.5 crore price tag against their name, and 11 were put under the Rs 1 crore category. [caption id=“attachment_9318831” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Representational photo. Sportzpics[/caption] Officially, each of the eight teams is allowed to spend nearly $12 million in salaries for the 10-week tournament but because many have a high number of retained players the cash available for the auction will differ. Punjab Kings (former known as Kings XI Punjab) will enter the auction with the biggest purse of $7 million followed by Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore on $4.75 million. Rajasthan Royals will have $4.7 million after releasing high-earning captain Steve Smith, who could be a major target for one of the other teams. Punjab, Bangalore and Rajasthan are all rebuilding after a disappointing 2020 season. Champions Mumbai Indians released seven players and will have about $2 million to bid. Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins was the most expensive foreign player in 2020, costing Kolkata Knight Riders $2.1 million at last year’s auction. The IPL is to be increased to 10 teams, but media reports say this will only happen in 2022. Click here to read all about IPL Auction 2021 With inputs from AFP