IPL auction bidding war to land Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff
The England team are somewhat used to being treated as assets, thanks to their involvement with Sir Allen Stanford, but for a lucky few, Friday will be their time to cash in.
Last Updated: 11:13AM GMT 05 Feb 2009
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are the leading English names at the Indian Premier League auction.
The Fort Aguada hotel, on a peninsular of the North Goan coast, is already besieged by television crews and Indian media anticipating what is quickly becoming cricket's annual publicity stunt - the IPL auction.
At 10am Goan time (4.30am GMT) seven England players will become numbered lots. Pietersen, somewhat fittingly, is expected to be named as A1.
The 43 players listed for sale will be auctioned off in batches with Lalit Modi, the IPL figurehead, announcing to the media, during lulls in the bidding, who has bought whom.
The whole show is expected to last up to three hours during which time $16 million will be spent on around 21 players. Recession. What recession?
Pietersen and Flintoff are the names dominating the Indian newspapers. Both could reach the maximum price of $2m and the IPL governing council was today meeting to decide what will happen if two franchises bid the same amount.
The Bangalore Royal Challengers are owned by the Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya. His portfolio includes the Formula One team, Force India, so he is well versed in how money talks in sport.
Mallya wants Pietersen and is thought to be willing to splurge his entire purse on him. It may come to that.
A rival has emerged over the past 24 hours with the Rajasthan Royals, the IPL champions, also linked with a Pietersen bid. They have money to spend thanks to the recent $14m investment by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.
Linking up with Shane Warne, the captain and coach of the Royals, would appeal to Pietersen, although sharing a dressing room with Graeme Smith may not.
For Flintoff, his $950,000 base valuation could double. All eight franchises have shown an interest at one stage or another, but it is likely only three or four can realistically afford his salary.
A bidding battle between Chennai, Mumbai or Kings XI Punjab is likely to make Flintoff a very happy man when he wakes up in Jamaica tomorrow.
Michael Clarke's decision to pull out on the eve of the auction will increase English hopes of an IPL deal.
Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara will be seen as 'bargain' buys, with base prices set at a maximum of $150,000. Bopara and Shah's Asian roots will not harm their chances, and the fact they will both be available for two thirds of the IPL adds to the attraction.
Delhi enter the auction room looking for a batsman - JP Duminy of South Africa is thought to be their target - while Kolkata have already been linked with Shah.
"It's all-rounders that people really want, whether they can bowl fast or even just offer an alternative with the ball," said one franchise official. "Apart from KP and Shah, all the England players on the auction list offer more than one skill."
A year ago, the franchises were bewitched by big names. Jacques Kallis - great Test player but bum Twenty20 record - was bought for $950,000. The hysteria surrounding the first auction, when 75 players, including the entire India team, were sold - even infected men who have made millions in the brutal world of Indian business.
Rajasthan bucked that trend and bought on T20 reputation. The result was a title winning team. That lesson has been learned and we can expect a more measured approach this year.
Although with one franchise official stating he will "do anything" to land Flintoff's signature, despite his lack of availability, it suggests some names retain a magical allure.
The players left on the shelf tomorrow will not give up hope. The decision by the Pakistan government to ban its players from playing in India has wreaked havoc within some franchise boardrooms. Those not bought will be still be available for purchase on one-year deals as temporary stand-ins.
Tomorrow the IPL announces the arrival of Twenty20 cricket in 2009, and what happens in the Aguada Ballroom will go a long way to indicating if it will be a bumper year.
