Udana, Walton bag top bids; Karthik, Dhawan signed directly in Legends League Cricket auction

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) The Legends League Cricket (LLC) is set to return for the third edition with former India stars Dinesh Karthik and Shikhar Dhawan, the two latest entrants taking part in the tournament, signed directly by the respective teams Southern Superstars and Team Gujarat. 

The auction proved to be full of surprises as the six teams fought hard to get the maximum value of their Rs 8 crore purse. Isuru Udana was bagged by Urbanrisers Hyderabad for a whopping 61.97 lakh while Chadwick Walton was right behind him for 60.3 lakh by the same franchise.

The auction commenced with a bang, with Elton Chigumbura being sold to Southern for Rs 25 lakh, setting the tone for competitive bidding. Samiullah Shinwari, known for his aggressive batting, was picked up by Hyderabad for Rs 18.585 lakh, indicating the teams’ interest in power hitters.

The real highlight at the start was Dwayne Smith, whose explosive batting fetched him a deal with Capitals for Rs 47.36 lakh but the biggest story of the day was the Indian spinner Praveen Gupta, who triggered one of the biggest bidding wars of the day. Starting from a base price of INR 5 lakh, defending champions, Manipal Tigers won the battle for INR 48.00 lakh. The most expensive Indian of the day was Dhawal Kulkarni who was bagged by the India Capitals for Rs 50 lakh.

The auction wasn’t just about the big names which was evident by the star power that remains unsold at the end of the auction. While these big names raised a lot of eyebrows it also highlights the value franchises place on the all-rounders.

The presence of such diverse talents underscores the LLC’s commitment to providing a platform where skill, experience, and entertainment value are equally celebrated. The next season is due to begin on the 20th of September 2024 at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium, Jodhpur.

Current Team List:

Konark Suryas Odisha: Irfan Pathan (RTM), Yusuf Pathan (RTM), Kevin O'Brien (29.17L), Ross Taylor (50.34L), Vinay Kumar (33L), Richard Levi (16.78L), Dishan Munaweera (15.5L), Shahbaz Nadeem (35L), Fidel Edwards (29.36L), Ben Laughlin (22.78L), Rajesh Bishnoi (19L), Pravin Tambe (28L), Diwesh Pathania (5L), KP Apanna (10L), Ambati Rayadu (Icon), Navin Stewart (Direct Signing)

Gujarat Team: Chris Gayle (RTM), Liam Plunkett (41.56L), Morne Van Wyk (29.29L), Lendl Simmons (37.56L), Asghar Afghan (33.17L), Jerome Taylor (36.17L), Paras Khadka (12.58L), Seekkuge Prasanna (22.78L), Kamau Leverock (10.89L), Sybrand Engelbrecht (15.08L), Shannon Gabriel (17.08L), Samar Quadri (25L), Mohammad Kaif (Icon), S. Sreesanth (Icon), Shikhar Dhawan (Direct Signing)

India Capitals: Ashley Nurse (RTM), Ben Dunk (RTM), Dwayne Smith (47.36L), Colin De Grandhomme (32.36L), Naman Ojha (40L), Dhawal Kulkarni (50L), Chris Mpofu (39.78L), Faiz Fazal (25L), Iqbal Abdulla (19L), Kirk Edwards (10.9L), Rahul Sharma (31L), Pankaj Singh (20L), Gnaneswara Rao (10L), Bharat Chipli (37L), Parvinder Awana (12L), Pawan Suyal (17.5L), Murali Vijay (Icon), Ian Bell (Direct Signing)

Southern Superstars: Abdur Razzak (RTM), Elton Chigumbura (24.97L), Hamilton Masakadza (23.28L), Pawan Negi (40L), Jeevan Mendis (15.6L), Suranga Lakmal (33.78L), Shreevats Goswami (17L), Hamid Hassan (20.9L), Nathan Coulter Nile (41.9L), Chirag Gandhi (23L), Suboth Bhati (38L), Robin Bist (5L), Jesal Karia (15.5L), C. De Silva (29.08L), Monu Kumar (10.5L), Kedar Jadhav (Icon), Parthiv Patel (Icon), Dinesh Karthik (Direct Signing)

Manipal Tigers: Harbhajan Singh (RTM), Robin Uthappa (RTM), Thisara Perera (RTM), Sheldon Cottrell (33.56L), Dan Christian (55.95L), Angelo Perera (42.17L), Manoj Tiwary (15L), Solomon Mire (38L), Asele Gunarathne (35.89L), Anureet Singh (27L), Abu Nechim (19L), Amit Verma (26L), Imran Khan (12.5L), Rahul Shukla (31L), Amitoze Singh (6L), Praveen Gupta (48L), Saurabh Tiwary (Direct Signing)

Urbanrisers Hyderabad: Suresh Raina (RTM), Gurkeerat Singh Mann (RTM), Peter Trego (RTM), Samiullah Shinwari (18.5L), George Worker (15.5L), Isuru Udana (61.97L), Rikki Clarke (37.75L), Stuart Binny (40L), Jaskaran Malhotra (10.4L), Chadwick Walton (60.3L), Bipul Sharma (17L) Nuwan Pradeep (48.79L), Yogesh Nagar (7L).