16 years have passed since the inaugural IPL auction, which took place in Mumbai back in 2008.
As the T20 spectacular approaches its 17th season, the bidding event for the tournament’s first edition laid the groundwork for its future enormous success. Notably, the first-ever IPL auction garnered media attention throughout the cricket community due to the high prices at which a number of prominent players were sold during the first season.
The most expensive player in the first auction was former India captain MS Dhoni, who went to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for an incredible USD 1.5 million. Dhoni wasn’t, however, the first player to be sold in IPL history. The renowned Australian wrist spinner Shane Warne was the first cricket player in league history to be executed.
The renowned cricketer Warne was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for USD 450,000. He left his mark on IPL history by helping RR defeat CSK in the championship game. Eight rounds comprised the inaugural IPL auction, which featured prominent figures in the cricket world, including Pakistani players Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Shahid Afridi, and Kamran Akmal.
Each club had to pay a minimum of USD 3.3 million and the maximum salary for the auction was set at USD 5 million. The BCCI punished the Rajasthan Royals for failing to achieve the required minimum spending amount. For the first auction, 77 players signed up, 48 of which were international players.
VVS Laxman forfeited his Icon Player Tag in order to help the squad.
All eight teams signed a high-profile Indian player, a local lad from the city they were representing, as a “Icon Player” prior to the bidding process. The Icon Player would receive 15% more in compensation than the team’s most expensive player even though they were not included in the bidding process. The Delhi Daredevils (DD) recruited Virender Sehwag, the Mumbai Indians selected Sachin Tendulkar, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed their prince Sourav Ganguly, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) signed Rahul Dravid, and the Kings XI Punjab (now the Punjab Kings) signed Yuvraj Singh as an icon player.
Notably, in order to give the Deccan Chargers (DC) more money to spend on players, cricketer VVS Laxman, who was born in Hyderabad, gave up his title as a “Icon Player.” The lack of an iconic player by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals allowed CSK to spend USD 1.5 million to acquire Dhoni.
Unsold on Glenn McGrath, MI becomes the most expensive team
Legendary Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who was sold to DC for USD 1.35 million, became the second most expensive player at the auction behind Dhoni. The legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis of South Africa was one of the most sought-after foreign players when he was sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for USD 900,000. Mumbai Indians ended up becoming the most expensive team at the end of the auction, having paid more than USD 111.9 million.
After 20 days, a second auction was held for overseas players who had not sold.
Australia’s Glenn McGrath, at the time the top wicket taker in international cricket history with 949 wickets, was strangely unsold while numerous foreign players managed to draw large bids. The BCCI awarded each unsold player its Base Price. Following the initial auction, 26 players, including those who were not sold at the first auction, registered for a second one that was held on March 11, 2008, only for foreign players.
The Under-19 Draft, which aided RCB in acquiring Virat Kohli
In the meanwhile, the teams might select two Under-19 players, with a salary cap in place, in addition to international stars. The only way RCB was able to get Virat Kohli, the Indian U-19 captain at the time who went on to become one of the league’s biggest stars, was through this approach.
Delhi Daredevils, Kohli’s home team, reportedly shown interest in purchasing the gifted young player as well. To strengthen their bowling, they chose Pradeep Sangwan, a left-arm seamer. Players without any prior Ranji experience had a USD 30,000 wage cap, while those who had were allowed to keep their USD 50,000 salary ceiling.
In addition, teams were required to assemble a roster that included at least four Under 22 players from the chosen catchment area. This resulted in the signing of Shikhar Dhawan by Delhi, Vinay Kumar by RCB, Ravichandran Ashwin by CSK, Ajinkya Rahane by Mumbai, Pragyan Ojha by Deccan Chargers, and Swapnil Asnodkar by Rajasthan, among others.
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