5th IPL Auctions: Jadeja The Costliest Player

5th IPL Auction in progress at Bangalore: As expected, Ravindra Jadeja today emerged the costliest player among the other IPL players sold out so far. He turned out to be the biggest draw for the franchises with Chennai Super Kings buying the young Indian all-rounder for a whopping US$ two million (approx. Rs 9.72 crore) in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.

The 23-year-old, whose base price was US$ 100,000, went to Chennai after the tie-breaker clause was invoked when two teams - CSK and Deccan Chargers - bid the maximum (US$ two million) for the Saurashtra player. Both the franchises were asked to bid a secret amount in the tie-breaker and it was Chennai which managed to outbid Deccan in this. But the cricketer himself will get paid US$ 950,000 as per the contract he had signed with the now-disbanded Kochi Tuskers Kerala last year and even the secret amount that was bid on him by Chennai would go into the BCCI coffers.

Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, incidentally the KTK captain last season, was also a big draw going to Delhi Daredevils for US$ 1.4 million (approx Rs 6.8 crore). Jayawardene will, however, get US$ 1.5 million as per his contract last year. Among other big gainers at the auction, New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum was bought for US$ 900,000 by Kolkata Knight Riders. McCullum's base price was US$ 400,000. Indian stumper Parthiv Patel went for US$ 650,000 to Deccan Chargers, which was quite high from his base price of US$ 200,000.