Indian Preium League ( IPL )- Dhoni fetches the highest price

India's ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni fetched the highest price in round one of the players' auction of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Wendesday.

Dhoni was bought by Indian Cements, owner of the Chennai franchise, for a whopping 1.5 million US dollars, approximately Rs six crore.

The bidding process began around 1130 IST at the Hilton Hotel in Mumbai and was attended by all the franchise owners barring Mumbai's Mukesh Ambani.

Kolkata franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan arrived an hour late with wife Gauri and missed the first round.

Former India captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly were also present at the bidding.

After Dhoni, the next highest bid was for Australia's wicketkeeping ace Adam Gilchrist, who was bought by Deccan Chronicle's Hyderabad franchise for US $7,00,000 (around Rs 2.8 crore). His former team mate and spin legend Shane Warne [Images] was purchased by Emerging Media's Jaipur franchise form US $4,50,000 (Rs 1.8 crore).

It was not surprising that the Sri Lankan duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene also fetched high prices.

Muralitharan was the second player bought by Chennai for US $6,00,000. Considering his wife also hails from that region he was one of their top priorities.

Sri Lankan captain Jayawardene was bought by Preity Zinta's Mohali franchise for US $4,75, 000.

Pakistan's troubled speedster Shoaib Akhtar went to Shah Rukh's Kolkata franchise for US $4,25,000.

Indian Preium League ( IPL )- sells media rights for a billion dollars

India's cricket chiefs on Monday sold the media rights for the star-studded inaugural Twenty20 Indian Premier League for one billion dollars.

A consortium of India's Sony Television network and the Singapore-based World Sports Group won the rights for the next 10 years by outbidding the ESPN-Star Sports network, jointly owned by Rupert Murdoch and Disney.

"There were two bidders in the final phase -- ESPN Star Sports and the Sony-WSG combine," IPL commissioner and Indian cricket board vice-president Lalit Modi told reporters.

"Sony-WSG bagged the media rights for 1.026 billion dollars, comprising 918 million dollars as rights money and 108 million dollars for compulsory promotional activities.

"They will keep the rights for the next 10 years."

The IPL, a brainchild of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is backed by the International Cricket Council and supported by cricket boards around the world.

The tournament, featuring eight franchised teams drawn from a star cast of cricket's top players, will be held over 44 days in 12 Indian cities from April 18, Modi said.

The top two sides in the tournament, boasting a prize money of three million dollars, will qualify for an international Champions Twenty20 League, which will be held at an undecided venue in October.

Test captains Ricky Ponting of Australia, Graeme Smith of South Africa, Daniel Vettori of New Zealand and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan are among the 80 cricketers contracted for the IPL.

The entire Indian team, which won the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September, will also play.

Bids for the eight team franchises will be declared on January 24, Modi said, adding that player auctions will take place around February 7.

"Not all the contracted players may be available in the first year because of international Test schedules, but many stars will play," he said.

"Playing for the country has to be the top priority."

Indian Preium League ( IPL )- Squads

Indian Premier League Squads

Bangalore Royal Challengers
Rahul Dravid	35	India	$1,035,000
Jacques Kallis	32	South Africa	$900,000
Anil Kumble	37	India	$500,000
Cameron White	24	Australia	$500,000
Zaheer Khan	29	India	$450,000
Mark Boucher	31	South Africa	$450,000
Nathan Bracken	30	Australia	$325,000
Dale Steyn	24	South Africa	$325,000
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	33	West Indies	$200,000
Wasim Jaffer	30	India	$150,000
Total purchase price			$4,835,000
Chennai Super Kings
Mahendra Singh Dhoni	26	India	$1,500,000
Jacob Oram	28	New Zealand	$675,000
Suresh Raina	21	India	$650,000
Albie Morkel	28	South Africa	$675,000
Muttiah Muralitharan	35	Sri Lanka	$600,000
Matthew Hayden	36	Australia	$375,000
Michael Hussey	32	Australia	$350,000
Stephen Fleming	35	New Zealand	$350,000
Parthiv Patel	22	India	$325,000
Joginder Sharma	24	India	$225,000
Makhaya Ntini	30	South Africa	$200,000
Total purchase price			$5,925,000
Delhi DareDevils
Virender Sehwag	29	India	$833,750
Gautam Gambhir	26	India	$725,000
Manoj Tiwary	22	India	$675,000
Mohammad Asif	25	Pakistan	$650,000
Daniel Vettori	29	New Zealand	$625,000
Dinesh Karthik	22	India	$525,000
Shoaib Malik	26	Pakistan	$500,000
Glenn McGrath	38	Australia	$350,000
AB de Villiers	24	South Africa	$300,000
Tillakaratne Dilshan	31	Sri Lanka	$250,000
Farveez Maharoof	23	Sri Lanka	$225,000
Total purchase price			$5,572,500
Hyderabad
Andrew Symonds	32	Australia	$1,350,000
R. P. Singh	22	India	$875,000
Rohit Sharma	20	India	$750,000
Adam Gilchrist	36	Australia	$700,000
Shahid Afridi	27	Pakistan	$675,000
Herschelle Gibbs	33	South Africa	$575,000
V. V. S. Laxman	33	India	$375,000
Chaminda Vaas	34	Sri Lanka	$200,000
Scott Styris	32	New Zealand	$175,000
Nuwan Zoysa	30	Sri Lanka	$110,000
Chamara Silva	28	Sri Lanka	$100,000
Total purchase price			$5,885,000
Jaipur
Mohammad Kaif	27	India	$675,000
Yusuf Pathan	25	India	$475,000
Graeme Smith	27	South Africa	$475,000
Shane Warne	38	Australia	$450,000
Munaf Patel	24	India	$275,000
Younis Khan	32	Pakistan	$225,000
Justin Langer	38	Australia	$200,000
Kamran Akmal	26	Pakistan	$150,000
Total purchase price			$2,925,000
Kolkata
Sourav Ganguly	35	India	$1,092,500
Ishant Sharma	19	India	$950,000
Chris Gayle	28	West Indies	$800,000
Brendon McCullum	26	New Zealand	$700,000
David Hussey	30	Australia	$625,000
Shoaib Akhtar	32	Pakistan	$425,000
Murali Kartik	31	India	$425,000
Ricky Ponting	33	Australia	$400,000
Ajit Agarkar	30	India	$330,000
Umar Gul	24	Pakistan	$150,000
Tatenda Taibu	24	Zimbabwe	$125,000
Total purchase price			$6,022,500
Mohali
Yuvraj Singh	26	India	$1,063,750
Irfan Pathan	23	India	$925,000
Brett Lee	31	Australia	$900,000
Kumar Sangakkara	30	Sri Lanka	$700,000
Sreesanth	25	India	$625,000
Mahela Jayawardene	30	Sri Lanka	$475,000
Piyush Chawla	19	India	$400,000
Ramnaresh Sarwan	27	West Indies	$225,000
Simon Katich	32	Australia	$200,000
Ramesh Powar	30	India	$170,000
Total purchase price			$5,683,750
Mumbai
Sachin Tendulkar	34	India	$1,121,250
Sanath Jayasuriya	38	Sri Lanka	$975,000
Harbhajan Singh	27	India	$850,000
Robin Uthappa	22	India	$800,000
Shaun Pollock	34	South Africa	$550,000
Lasith Malinga	24	Sri Lanka	$350,000
Loots Bosman	30	South Africa	$175,000
Dilhara Fernando	29	Sri Lanka	$150,000
Total purchase price			$4,971,250

Indian Preium League ( IPL )- Fixtures

2008 Indian Premier League Fixtures

Friday, April 18th 2008
Bangalore v Kolkata	TBA
Saturday, April 19th 2008
Delhi v Jaipur	TBA
Mohali v Chennai	TBA
Sunday, April 20th 2008
Kolkata v Hyderabad	TBA
Mumbai v Bangalore	TBA
Monday, April 21st 2008
Jaipur v Mohali	TBA
Tuesday, April 22nd 2008
Hyderabad v Delhi	TBA
Wednesday, April 23rd 2008
Chennai v Mumbai	TBA
Thursday, April 24th 2008
Hyderabad v Jaipur	TBA
Friday, April 25th 2008
Mohali v Mumbai	TBA
Saturday, April 26th 2008
Bangalore v Jaipur	TBA
Chennai v Kolkata	TBA
Sunday, April 27th 2008
Mohali v Delhi	TBA
Mumbai v Hyderabad	TBA
Monday, April 28th 2008
Bangalore v Chennai	TBA
Tuesday, April 29th 2008
Kolkata v Mumbai	TBA
Wednesday, April 30th 2008
Delhi v Bangalore	TBA
Thursday, May 1st 2008
Hyderabad v Mohali	TBA
Jaipur v Kolkata	TBA
Friday, May 2nd 2008
Chennai v Delhi	TBA
Saturday, May 3rd 2008
Hyderabad v Bangalore	TBA
Mohali v Kolkata	TBA
Sunday, May 4th 2008
Jaipur v Chennai	TBA
Mumbai v Delhi	TBA
Monday, May 5th 2008
Bangalore v Mohali	TBA
Tuesday, May 6th 2008
Chennai v Hyderabad	TBA
Wednesday, May 7th 2008
Mumbai v Jaipur	TBA
Thursday, May 8th 2008
Delhi v Chennai	TBA
Kolkata v Bangalore	TBA
Friday, May 9th 2008
Jaipur v Hyderabad	TBA
Saturday, May 10th 2008
Bangalore v Mumbai	TBA
Chennai v Mohali	TBA
Sunday, May 11th 2008
Hyderabad v Kolkata	TBA
Jaipur v Delhi	TBA
Monday, May 12th 2008
Mohali v Bangalore	TBA
Tuesday, May 13th 2008
Kolkata v Delhi	TBA
Wednesday, May 14th 2008
Mohali v Jaipur	TBA
Mumbai v Chennai	TBA
Thursday, May 15th 2008
Delhi v Hyderabad	TBA
Friday, May 16th 2008
Mumbai v Kolkata	TBA
Saturday, May 17th 2008
Delhi v Mohali	TBA
Jaipur v Bangalore	TBA
Sunday, May 18th 2008
Hyderabad v Mumbai	TBA
Kolkata v Chennai	TBA
Monday, May 19th 2008
Bangalore v Delhi	TBA
Tuesday, May 20th 2008
Kolkata v Jaipur	TBA
Wednesday, May 21st 2008
Chennai v Bangalore	TBA
Mumbai v Mohali	TBA
Thursday, May 22nd 2008
Delhi v Kolkata	TBA
Friday, May 23rd 2008
Mohali v Hyderabad	TBA
Saturday, May 24th 2008
Chennai v Jaipur	TBA
Delhi v Mumbai	TBA
Sunday, May 25th 2008
Bangalore v Hyderabad	TBA
Kolkata v Mohali	TBA
Monday, May 26th 2008
Jaipur v Mumbai	TBA
Tuesday, May 27th 2008
Hyderabad v Chennai	TBA
Friday, May 30th 2008
Semi Final 1	Mumbai
Saturday, May 31st 2008
Semi Final 2	Mumbai
Sunday, June 1st 2008
Final	Mumbai