Daredevils pleased with Jayawardene buy

Delhi Daredevils finished last in a shocking performance in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. On Friday after a heavy round of bidding, franchise owners said they were pleased with the addition of Mahela Jayawardene and Andre Russell.

Expressing confidence of staging a reversal and finishing the upcoming IPL tournament on a high, Team Mentor TA Sekar said he was happy with the players bought. "We are pleased with the acquisitions at the Player Auction here today and are confident we can be competitive through the season," he said. "Going into the auction, we were very clear that we would strengthen our middle-order batting and look for all-rounders. We are happy to have found what we targeted."

Jayawardene was bought by the team for $14,00,000 even though his base price was $3,00,000. Sekar justified the buy saying the recently appointed Sri Lankan captain will strengthen the Daredevils' middle-order. "There can be no doubt that Mahela will make a difference to the team with his vast experience and his approach," he said. "We are delighted that we could add a true blue professional of his stature to our roster."

The team also bought West Indies' Andre Russell and Doug Bracewell of New Zealand. Team management said both players are genuine all-rounders and were needed for explosive batting in the finishing overs. That they are bowlers capable of bowling four overs is another plus.