Pietersen & Flintoff set to debut as highest paid players

Panaji, Goa: Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League today kicked off in earnest with the IPL Player Auction at Goa. With a mere nine weeks to go, all the eight franchisees utilized distinct strategies to pick – up the players that formed a tactical fit for the playing squads. The highlight of the auction though was the historic bids for the two Englishmen at US $ 1.55 million for all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and batsman Kevin Pietersen from the Chennai Super Kings and the Bangalore Royal Challengers which should make them the highest paid players in the League. Another player that saw multiple bidding and a distinctly higher final auction price of US $ 950,000 compared to his reserve price was South African batsman Jean Paul Duminy, who will now turn out for the Mumbai Indians. Bangladeshi pace bowler Mashrafe Bin Mortaza though was the surprise package at the auction going for a final bid of US $ 600,000 to the ShahRukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders.

Expressing satisfaction on the way the Auction went Mr. Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League said, "This was a very strategic auction with each franchisee knowing exactly what they wanted in terms of international talent to strengthen their playing squads. I look forward to the prodigious talents of Pietersen and Flintoff making their debuts in Season II for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai. I am certain now more than ever that fans across Indian and indeed the world are in for an exciting second season."
Season II will see 5 Englishmen, 2 South Africans, 2 Bangladeshi’s, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders, 3 West Indians and 1 Sri Lankan make their debuts in the DLF Indian Premier League in 2009. A grand total of US $ 7.65 million was bid for the 17 new Indian Premier League debutan