IPL 2016 Auction: Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen in Rs 2-Crore Pool
Yuvraj Singh was the most expensive player in IPL 2015. But the Rs 16-crore worth 2011 World Cup star failed to justify his price tag and was off-loaded by Delhi Daredevils. Kevin Pietersen will also push his luck in IPL players' auction in February.
The aura of a Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen will be tested in the Indian Premier League players auction in Bangalore on February 6. Yuvraj and Pietersen are among a dozen players who have a base price of Rs 2 crore, according to reports.
Delhi Daredevils broke their bank in 2015 to buy Yuvraj Singh for a record purse of Rs 16 crore in the IPL auction last year. By his lofty standards, the 2011 World Cup-winning star had a low IPL and was off-loaded by Delhi.
The maverick Pietersen has now reconciled to the fact that England's doors will remain shut on him as long as Alastair Cook is captain and Andrew Strauss remains cricket director. KP will remain the journeyman and hope to make some big bucks in IPL 2016.
The 35-year-old, who led Delhi in 2014 with little success, was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015. Like Yuvraj, KP was released and is now a free player with a base price of Rs 2 crore. Pietersen's 2015 IPL season was ruined due to injury.
© AFP
Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen in good form
Both Yuvraj and Pietersen have been in good form. After a prolific domestic season, Yuvraj was rewarded with an India call-up and will play the upcoming three Twenty20 internationals against Australia starting January 26 in Adelaide.
In the Big Bash League, KP has been in smashing form. Playing for Melbourne Stars on Sunday night in the BBL final against Sydney Thunder, Pietersen scored a 74 off 39 balls. The England batsman cracked a match-winning 62 against Perth Scorchers in the semis.
"I keep things simple. If I get nought, I get nought. If I get runs, I get runs," he told Channel 10. "But I am in form. I've never batted like this. In the last, I don't know, say 12 to 15 months, never batted like this. I am loving it."
While the two-year suspension on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals has rendered several players team-less, stars like Dinesh Karthik, bought by Bangalore for 10.5 crore in 2015, did not justify their price tag.
Ashish Nehra (ex-Chennai), Karthik (ex-RCB), Rajasthan's Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson and Dhawal Kulkarni all have base prices of 2 crore each.
Unlucky Delhi have the largest purse
With the two new teams - Rajkot and Rising Pune Supergiants - having decided on their core players in the players draft held on December 15, the eight franchises will have a talented pool of players to choose and restructure their roster.
Delhi will have the biggest purse to spend - Rs 37.15 crore. The Daredevils have been rather unlucky in terms of team building. Delhi's big bucks players have generally been a letdown. Hyderabad (30.15 crore), Pune and Rajkot (27 crore each), Kings XI Punjab (23 crore) and Bangalore (21.65) have a bit to spend.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians (14.4 crore) and two-time former winners Kolkata Knight Riders (17.95 crore) have relatively lesser purses. But that is because their rosters look far more settled than the other six.