Gambhir, Pathan set $2m IPL record

ndia's Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan on Saturday became the first
cricketers to be bought for more than $2 million at an Indian Premier
League auction.



Left-handed opener Gambhir, the first player to go under
the hammer for the tournament's fourth edition, was bought by Kolkata
Knight Riders for $US2.4 million ($A2.42 million), far higher than his
base price of $US200,000 ($A201,50).




Gambhir was soon joined in the exclusive bracket by
all-rounder Pathan, who was snapped up by the same franchise for $US2.1
million ($A2.12 million). Pathan's reserve was $300,000.



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The Indians eclipsed the record price of England duo of
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who went for $US1.55 million
($A1.56 million) each in 2009.




This time, Pietersen, with a base price of $US400,000, was bought by Deccan Chargers for $US650,000 ($A655,000).




Among the $US1 million men were New Zealander Ross
Taylor, Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, South African AB de Villiers and
India's Yuvraj Singh.




Former West Indies captain Brian Lara and a host of
England's Ashes heroes are also among 353 players up for grabs at the
two-day auction in Bangalore.




Lara and England paceman James Anderson are among 21 with the highest reserve price of $US400,000 for a three-year contract.




Other foreigners on offer included veteran Australians
Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee, South Africans Graeme Smith and Jacques
Kallis, and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori.




The annual IPL tournament revolutionised the sport in
2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, Twenty20
matches and Bollywood glamour.




But its fortunes dipped dramatically last year after
allegations of massive corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as
well as secret deals to hide teams' real owners, and even links to
India's criminal underworld.




IPL founder Lalit Modi -- whose brash style personified
the event -- was thrown out by the BCCI, the sport's governing body in
India, over accusations about his conduct and organisers hope this year
will be fresh start.




The tournament, to be held from April 8 to May 22, will feature 10 teams, including two new sides -- Pune Warriors and Kochi.




Twelve players have been retained by their original
franchises, with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni staying with the
Chennai Super Kings and Shane Warne and Shane Watson sticking with the
Rajasthan Royals.

Some top cricketers have opted out of the IPL's fourth
season, including the Australian trio of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke
and Mitchell Johnson, and former India captain Anil Kum