Top 10 & Highlights and commentary of IPL-4 auctions

 

Highlights and commentary of IPL-4 auctions

Top 10 Indian buys of IPl auctions. All figures in $ million

1. Gambhir - Kolkata - 2.4
2. Yusuf Pathan - Kolkata - 2.1
3. Robin Uthappa - Pune - 2.1
4. Rohit Sharma - Mumbai - 2
5. Irfan Pathan - Delhi - 1.9
6. Yuvraj Singh - Pune - 1.8
7. Saurabh Tiwary - Bangalore - 1.6
8. Ravindra Jadeja - Kochi - 0.95
9. Dinesh Karthik - Kings XI - 0.9
10. Piyush Chawla - Kings XI - 0.9

Top 10 imports of IPL auctions. All figures in $ million

1. Mahela Jayawardene - Kochi - 1.5
2. David Hussey - Kings XI - 1.4
3. Dale Steyn - Chargers - 1.2
4. Muttaih Muralitharan - Kochi - 1.1
5. AB de Villiers - Bangalore - 1.1
6. Cameron White - Chargers - 1.1
7. Jacques Kallis - Kolkata - 1.1
8. Ross Taylor - Rajasthan - 1
9. Angelo Mathews - Pune - 0.95
10. Johan Botha - Rajasthan - 0.95

06.10 pm - It was great to be with you all over the last couple of days as it always is. We hope we ensured you enjoyed our coverage of the IPL auctions. Time to sign off and as I do that, let me leave you with the top 10 Indian buys and top 10 imports of the auction that was. Thanks for joining MSN India. Keep tuning into us for all the latest in sport, news, lifestyle, entertainment, auto, education and green. We have everything lined up for your taste buds. Bye for now

06.05 pm - Anti-climatic end to the match called auctions. Plenty of analysis will be around everywhere but the bottomline is simple. IPL auctions has been a mix of few surprises and more shocks once again

06.02 pm - Have we seen the end of the 'rejected names' as far as IPL is concerned? Maybe yes. Most certainly for Ganguly, Jayasuriya, Boucher. But, others like Gayle will try hard in 3 years time. But, what about Swann????? That is my biggest shock alongwith Anderson and Tamim Iqbal

06.01 pm - There is an announcement of PCRs for uncapped Indian players. Exciting names there as well. Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, etc

06.00 pm - Wait a minute. There is a third bidding process opened up. Mohd Kaif. What a lucky chap! He surges 30% in 3 minutes and is snapped by Bangalore for $ 130000. Kaif was even misprounounced once by Madley for Murali Karthik in the first bidding. Oh. If any player is IPL lucky, it has to be Kaif. What drama!!!!!

06.00 PM - None of the big names make a comeback to the table again. No Ganguly, no Gibbs, no Gayle, no Anderson, no Swann, no Boucher, no............ The list is endless

06.00 pm - BIG BREAKING NEWS. AUCTION ENDS

05.55 pm - Mumbai are doing it very well. They are doing great cherry picking. Adrien Blizzard bought by them for just $ 20000

05.50 pm - There is still substantial money left on the table. Can you believe it? Chargers still have 2.2 and Kings XI nearly 2.1 million

05.47 pm - Another great value buy. Mumbai snap up Moises Henriques of Australia for $ 50000. Henriques was a part of the CL T20 winning NSW Blues in Hyderabad

05.45 pm - Small value buys going on and many second-time rejections. Just suspect there could be more than 28 up for resale

05.42 pm - Success for an English player after a long time. Dmitri Masceranhas sold to Kings XI for $ 100000

05.40 pm - The big guns are still yet to come under the hammer for the second time. All eyes on them. Excitement and nervousness in equal measure

05.38 pm - Adam Voges unsold for second time

05.36 pm - Deccan Chargers' budget now down to 2.2. Very marginaly down but they have got an extra asset

05.35 pm - Rusty Theron is bagged by Chargers for $ 85000 . Was surprised in the first place why this bidding never happened for him. The South African is such an asset in the shorter version

05.33 pm - Pune's budget now is down to below 1 million

05.32 pm - Murali Karthik next. And guess what! he is seeing aggressive bidding. And Madley likes it too. Pune snap up Murali Karthik for $ 400000

05.30 pm - Who has put in the request for players and not participating in the auction????? This is sure violation of norms and not acceptable. Wasting plenty of valuable time

05.28 pm - Action replay of mid session going on... This is ridiculous

05.27 pm - Next request is Daniel Harris. What is going on? Again, are we back to the meandering stuff? Harris fails at second attempt at $ 20000

05.27 pm - VRV Singh next. Now, who is bidding for him? And yes. He is unsold after a second attempt

05.25 pm - Jesse Ryder, first unsold player under the hammer. There is a scramble for Ryder suddenly. Pune buy Ryder for $ 150000. Great buy

05.20 PM - Kings XI haven't bought a single player today and they still have over 2 million in the bank.

05.17 pm - BIG BREAKING NEWS - 28 UNSOLD PLAYERS TO BE AUCTIONED AGAIN

05.10 pm - My picks from unsold players - Gayle, Jayasuriya, Tamim Iqbal, Swann, Anderson, Tremlett, Gibbs, Jesse Ryder and Ganguly

05.07 pm - No million dollar babies yet today. Suspect if there will be any at all with prunned down budgets. But, expect Chargers and Kings XI to slug it out in the play offs

05.05 pm - There were only 16 unsold players yesterday. Today, it is some 20 times more than that. How one day is different from the other!

05.00 pm - At the same time last evening, we all were talking about Gambhir, the Pathans, Rohit and Uthappa. Who will be the talking point today? None so far but wait for the climax

04.56 pm - This resembles a penalty shootout, doesn't it? After all the meandering stuff in the final few sets, the excitement is palpable again as we head into the finale

04.55 pm - Madley had said it will be a 5-minute break. But, looking at the fact that it is now nearing 25 minutes just goes to show it will be another slug-fest

04.40 pm - Teams have started to present their wishlists. Simple explanation of rules for the next stage:
If a player is sought by only one franchisee, that player automatically goes to that franchisee at the base price
If a player is sought by 2 or more franchisees, then it goes into bidding
Easy?

04.35 pm - Welcome back after the 5-min breather. The only thing I did in the period was to splash some water on my face as I almost went off to sleep during the mid session. Reminded me of my school days!

04.30 pm - A quick look at who has how much going into the play-offs

All figures in $ millions

Chennai - 0.335
Mumbai - 0.55
Bangalore - 0.51
Chargers - 2.29
Delhi - 0.89
Kolkata - 0.425
Rajasthan - 0.805
Kings XI - 2.175
Pune - 1.48
Kochi - 1.21

04.30 pm - The auction is over but not the real action, which begins only now. The biggies will be back and back with a bang. Let us see what happens as the next stage of the auction begins in 5 minutes

04.27 pm - There is some excitement in the final set. du Plessis is going great guns well and above his base price of $ 20000. Chennai bag him for $ 120000. Another value buy late in the day

04.25 pm - Three future investments in the last 30 minutes. That is interesting and good for the game. Rilee Rossouw, Nuwan Pradeep and Chris Lynn.

04.23 pm - Another surprise bid. Another futuristic investment. Chris Lynn by Chargers for $ 20000. Haven't heard of him before

04.20 pm - Don't ever think this is a dying battle. All eyes are now on what happens as soon as Madleyreads out player No. 353. That is when the real action will begin and expect absolute fireworks then. WillGayle comeback? Will someone snap up Jayasuriya? Ganguly is up for grabs. Can Anderson spring back tolife? There are so many of them. At this point of time, all thos 'rejected' players will be quietly relieved tosee what is happening. They know they are going to make a comeback

04.19 pm - Another futuristic investment by Bangalore. Nuwan Pradeep from Sri Lanka for $ 20000

04.15 pm - Finally, another player gets sold to a solitary bid. Rilee Rossouw is a great buy at just $ 20000 by Bangalore. They are certainly investing in the future

04.10 pm - A quick look at how much is left now with each franchisee as we enter into the last 30 players of the auctions. All figures in $ millions

Chennai - 0.455
Mumbai - 0.55
Bangalore - 0.55
Chargers - 2.31
Delhi - 0.89
Kolkata - 0.425
Rajasthan - 0.805
Kings XI - 2.175
Pune - 1.48
Kochi - 1.21

04.05 pm - The equation is pretty simple. Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Rajasthan all have less than a million, some of them less than half a milion. That leaves Chargers, Kings XI, Pune and Kochi with the best chance to go for the kill in the slog overs

04.03 pm - It is now more or less evident that franchisees are preserving the purse for the return of the 'rejected kings'. But, who will have the money to go that far? Chennai looks content and so do Mumbai with biggies. If anything, Chargers, Pune, Kings XI and Kochi desperately need one big player each

04.01 pm - Player No.300 Angelo Perera goes unsold.

04.00 pm - The last one hour has seen only three bids. First was James Pattinson to KKR for $ 100000 andthen towards the late stagesAlfonso Thomas to Pune for $ 100000 and George Bailey to Chennai for $ 50000

03.58 pm - George Bailey picked by Chennai for $ 50000

03.57 pm - One of the emerging international players of 2010, Kane Williamson too goes unsold

03.55 pm - It suddenly livens up. Alfonso Thomas, the name that shook even Adam Gilchrist in the first edition of CL T20, when he single-handedly won the match for Somerset against Chargers at Hyderabad. I was there watching that game and was mighty impressed with Alfonso. Thomas is snapped up by Pune for $ 100000

03.53 pm - Remember Tyron Henderson? In the first auction, this unheralded player was bought by Rajasthan for 625000. This time around he is unsold even at 50000. Cricket can be very humbling at times

03.51 pm - Another Bangladeshi failure. Mashrafe Mortaza, arguably the fastest bowler till date from that country finds no takers. Kolkata are determined for a total revamp

03.50 pm - Joy for one Yusuf (Pathan) and disappointment for the other Yusuf (Abdullah)

03.48 pm - Back to fast bowlers again. Yusuf Abdullah from South Africa, who was with Kings XI and did okay. Eyes on Zinta. No reaction, which means he too is unsold.

03.45 pm - A short while ago, I had said 1 run in 30 minutes. Please make that 1 run in 45 minutes. There has only been 1 bid so far in this mid session. Come on guys! This is T20. No no. We aren't forcing a wrong decision on a franchisee

03.42 pm - Another Bangladeshi cricketer bites the dust. Naeem Islam, the latest casualty

03.40 pm - No luck here either as most names are unheard of. They are not international 'babies' yet. Darren Stevens, a base price of $ 200000????? Now, where did that price come from

03.40 pm - Now, we could see some action as it is all-rounder time again. Or will we?

03.37 pm - No bids for Mark Cosgrove either. He is considered a good T20 player down under

03.34 pm - What it definitely does is set up a fascinating finale to the auctions, especially with so much money (value increases with each passing minute) left on the table and the 'rejected' lot could come up for seconds sale

03.33 pm - Madley isn't complaining as he has seriously made up lost time. Now, less than 100 left

03.32 pm - Batsmen now. Let us see if there is better luck. I am afraid it remains bitter as the 'unsold' series. It is a shock as Adrian Barath from West Indies too doesn't get a bid. I thought he should have been snapped up. Good aggressive opener

03.30 pm - 1 run scored in 30 minutes of play. Test cricket or T20. Forgot which version IPL belongs to!

03.27 pm - BIG BREAKING NEWS - FINALLY THERE IS A BID AFTER ALL. Australian James Pattinson gets a solo bid and that is enough. Kolkata bag him for $ 100000

03.26 pm - Horribly slow start to the post-lunch session. Not a single run scored yet. Guys, had a heavy lunch. Might just dose off if action doesn't get hot again. Someone please send the twelfth man in to send a message to bidders

03.25 pm - Finally, a promising name. Daryl Tuffey and he is left to eat the toffee. No takers again

03.22 pm - Pretty sure the 'oldies' who have been sidelined in the early part of the auction will make a stunning comeback looking at the way things are going at this point of time

03.21 pm - Where will the 2 million each of Chargers and Kings XI go? That is the million dollar question now as we meander along. Not everyone is in a hurry it seems

03.21 pm - Bangladesh, England and West Indies are having a torrid time in the auctions. Despite the recent Ashes disaster, Australia are doing okay

03.20 pm - 15 now unsold on the trot. Crazy stuff. Momentum has completely swung, has it?

03.20 pm - Can we have some more names withdrawn please if this silence is going to continue? They did that earlier in the day with wicketkeepers

03.17 pm - Last dozen have gone without a bid. This is unbelievable.

03.15 pm - Have the franchisees spent all the money they had on lunch???? Not a single bid for nearly 10 players who have gone under the hammer. WI batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan is the latest casualty

03.12 pm - The player who had one of the best test averages of 2010 too finds no takers in IPL. Thilan Samaraweera goes unsold

03.10 pm - Our prayers answered. Auction resumes but no change in bad luck for West Indies. Ricardo Powell and Xavier Marshall find no takers. Lendl Simmons is an exciting all-rounder but he too finds no takers. That's a bit surprising

03.08 pm - Madley finishes it off in five flat minutes. Great stuff Madley. Let us please get back to the more exciting aspect, the auctions. For God's sake!

03.03 pm - Not sure the franchisees will be too interested in the draw since it is a plain and simple home and away format. The only interesting aspect of the draw would be who would play whom and when. That would have excited last year when you knew the strengths and weaknesses of the teams. But, now not too sure!

03.02 pm - Richard Madley, the umpire is back in the middle and so are the players. After a heavy lunch, they are back and to begin with in the mid-session, it won't be auctions but it will be the draw for the IPL-4CEO Sundar Raman had said draw will happen today

03.01 pm - It's all about money honey! Two teams Deccan Chargers and Kings XI still have over $ 2 million to spend. Are they set to surprise with some aggressive bidding when it matters the most

03.00 pm - Get ready for what should be an absoultely exciting session in this year's IPL auctions

02.55 pm - Welcome back folks. It has been a long lunch session and a very enjoyable one too

02.00 pm - It is now 2 pm and the stomach is really calling. Madley calls Lunch. It has been a long long session and an intriguing one. The purses have trimmed down considerably and that has made the remainder of the auction all the more exciting. Stay tuned to MSN and keep enjoying the highlights of the morning session as we join you back to continue with our Live updates at 02.45 pm.

Highlights of morning session of day two

Ryan ten Doeschote becomes the first ever Dutchman to play in IPL after he was signed up by Kolkata for $ 150000

Indian fast bowlers easily beat the 'imports'
Not a single player has hit the million mark today so far. The closest was Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian, who went to Chargers for $ 900000

Top Five 'Indian' bids in the morning session

Umesh Yadav - $ 750000 - Delhi
Munaf Patel - $ 700000 - Mumbai
Venugopal Rao - $ 700000 - Delhi
L. Balaji - $ 500000 - Kolkata
Vinay Kumar - $ 475000 - Kochi

Top five 'imports' in the morning session

Daniel Christian - $ 900000 - Chargers
Shaun Tait - $ 300000 - Rajasthan
Owais Shah - $ 200000 - Kochi
Scott Styris - $ 200000 - Chennai
Wayne Parnell - $ 160000 - Pune

01.52 pm - Another English failure and another Indian success. Tremlett unsold but Pankaj Singh bagged by Rajasthan for $ 95000

01.51 pm - Yet another Ashes hero fails. Chris Tremlett is unsold for a horribly low base price of $ 100000. This is more than just being funny from the bidders

01.51 pm - No takers for another old warhorse. Makhaya Ntini unsold

01.50 pm - Lonwabo Tsotsobe fails to reap any reward for a good show in the just-concluded test series. He is unsold

01.50 pm - It has been a long long session and the final over of the morning session is up now.

01.47 pm - Geoff Lawson is enjoying this cherry-picking. He knows plenty about Australian domestic cricket it seems.

01.45 pm - Kochi are at it now. They are really snapping up bargains. John Hastings, the latest Aussie under the hammer goes to Kochi for $ 20000

01.45 pm - 'I too wasn't in the Ashes' says Andrew McDonald, it seems. And it paid off as McDonald is stolen by Delhi for $ 80000. Wonderful pick by Delhi. McDonald can be very good with his slow cutters on Indian wickets.

01.42 pm - Another Australian player who didn't come anywhere near the Ashes doing very well. Mitchell Marsh keeps the Marsh family firmly in the IPL with '3 interests'. Pune snap up Mitchell Marsh for a big $ 290000

01.40 pm - Doeschate is the ICC Associate Player of the Year 2010. He won that award in Bangalore and now comes this IPL bid. The city of Bangalore set to become a talking point in The Netherlands soon.

01.35 pm - AN UNHERALDED NAME ten Doeschate from The Netherlands is hot on the table. Kolkata pick Doeschate for $ 150000

01.32 pm - Like the English players, the West Indies too are having a tough time with poor interest from franchisees. Lara first, Chanderpaul next and now the current captain Darren Sammy goes unsold

01.31 pm - Another exciting talent Michael Klinger, who did well in the CL T20 now. Base price really cheap at $ 20000. Kochi pick Klinger up for $ 75000. That is a big buy and should pay off handsomely for Kochi.

01.30 pm - Surprise buy now. Owais Shah of England bought by Kochi for $ 200000. Expensive? Definitely

01.30 pm - Simon Katich also goes unsold. Decent all-rounder and was going okay at $ 100000. But, again the foreign quota is really low in terms of availability. So, no surprise that there are no takers

01.26 pm - Another Ashes hero fails. Jonathan Trott goes unsold

01.25 pm - Chennai lost Murali to Kochi for $ 1.1 million and end up snapping up Randiv for $ 80000. That is the way to do business Chennai. Well done

01.21 pm - The 'No-ball' specialist Suraj Randiv next. Sorry no offence meant. Chennai win Randiv for $ 80000. That is a great price to get him. Remember the way he troubled the Indians in that first test at Galle a few months ago. Very useful bowler

01.20 pm - Mixed luck for Bangladesh. Shakib went for a good deal but Tamim went very cheap and now a couple of players unsold. The country is yet to get to that million dollar mark. Long way to go though

01.18 pm -Welcome back. Madley looks refreshed. And so he should be. Abdur Razzak next. This is the Bangladeshi Razzak. No luck. Unsold

01.15 pm - There is a short break now. Looks like Madley is quite tired now. Not an easy job. He has done nearly 200 players since yesterday. Another 150 to go....On time? Tough call but certainly good over rate

01.10 pm - It is a tactical game going on at this point of time. The franchisee with the best tactics might just be in a position to make a late surge with very few challengers. Remember, Gayle, Jayasuriya, Ganguly, Lara, etc are unsold

01.10 pm - Are Chargers, Kings XI and Pune eyeing the 'missed biggies'? Maybe

01.10 pm - Whatz the status of that big fat purse? errrrr. small purse now. Only Chargers and Kings XI have in excess of $ 2 million. Pune have $ 1.97 million

01.06 pm - Another foreign fast bowler rejected. New Zealander Tim Southee bites the dust. Slightly disappointing since Southee did well in Indian conditions during the recent tour of India

01.03 pm - The scramble for 'Indian' fast bowlers continues and Sudeep Tyagi rides on it. Chennai snap up Tyagi for $ 240000

01.02 pm - Chaminda Vaas is going through a torrid time. He was left out of the final 15 in the world cup squad by Lankan selectors and he has been dumped by bidders in IPL auction too. Vaas and Jaysuriya both sailing in the same ship

01.00 pm - There is a real hurry to shore up the fast bowling department. Nuwan Kulasekhara snapped up by Chennai for $ 100000

12.55 pm - Indian bowlers are hogging the limelight today just like the way their batting counterparts did yesterday. Abhimanyu Mithun up next and he too is chased. Bangalore win Mithun for $ 260000. Slightly lower for his calibre

12.53 pm - The exciting South African Wayne Parnell is off the blocks now. Can he set the room on fire? Oh not really. Pune pick Parnell for a measely $ 160000. That is a big bargain

12.52 pm - Kemar Roach finds no takers at $ 100000. Chargers' fans must be wondering what their team was doing during the mid-term auction in 2010 when they won him for $ 720000

12.52 pm - Player No. 167 next. Still a long day ahead. Remember there are 350 players to go under the hammer. But, how many more will be withdrawn???

12.48 pm - T20 World Cup winning bowler Joginder Sharma off the blocks next. Where is he these days? Doesn't matter as franchisees bid for him in a hurry. Chennai snap up Joginder for $ 150000

12.48 pm - So, it will be Goni versus Dhoni at last in IPL.

12.45 pm - MS Goni. No typo here. Yes, it is that fast bowler who played alongside Dhoni. A very promising quick with an excellent action. He is a steal at a base price of $ 50000. He should go a lot higher than that. Now, if Balaji can go for nearly $ 500000 and the untested Umesh for $ 750000, Goni going to Chargers for $ 290000 is a decent bargain

12.40 pm - No, he doesn't. Very measured bidding for Jaidev as he is picked for $ 250000 by Kolkata. Now, that is a good $ 500000 less than that of Umesh Yadav. Did Jaidev pay the price for making his test debut against a rampany Jacques Kallis? Or was it a case of mindless bidding for Umesh? We will know through April and May

12.35 pm - Jaidev Unadakt next. Well, Umesh Yadav got $ 750000 for being on the plane to South Africa. Will Jaidev get more for being on the field in Centurion?

12.33 pm - One of the few Aussie players to have done well during the Ashes, Peter Siddle next. Siddle is unsold. Maybe high base price of $ 200000 and also remember foreign players quota is reaching the peak for many franchisees

12.32 pm - Another Ashes failure is dumped. Or is he? Apologies. A last minute bid from Chennai for the base price of $ 100000 saves Ben Hilfenhaus

12.30 pm - Kings XI, Chargers and Pune still have over $ 2 million.

12.30 pm - Budgets get trimmed quite a bit. Mumbai now have only $ 0.55 million. That can still buy many 'value buys'

12.27 pm - Scott Styris priced at $ 100000. Where will he go? Chennai open a bid at base price and then it takes off. They battled it out with Kochi. Eventually, Chennai take Styris at $ 200000. Good bargain

12.25 pm - Game over for the remaining wicketkeepers as all franchisees unanimously agree they have enough of them. Will be interesting to see who figure in that 'withdrawn' list

12.22 pm - Wasim Jaffer unsold

12.22 pm - West Indies and T&T star Darran Bravo up next. He was a star during the first edition of CL T20 and sadly finds no takers even at $ 50000

12.19 pm - Many Indian players get lucky today as teams look to shore up their bowling and middle orders. Munaf, Umesh, Vinay, Agarkar, Balaji and now Venugopal Rao. It sure defies logic. Now that is what cricket is all about. A game of huge unpredictability

12.17 pm - Chargers' surprise element Venugopal Rao up next. Surprise surprise! Chargers do not look keen to retain him. And What bidding for the Vizag boy! Delhi snap up Venugopal Rao for a massive $ 700000 . That is a huge surprise for me. Not sure he is worth that price tag.

12.15 pm - Auctions happening at good pace today. Looks like we will cross yesterday's tally in less than a session. Great scoring rate Mr. Madley!

12.15 pm - Mohd Kaif unsold as well. Is he closing in on retirement????

12.12 pm - Australian Luke Pomersbach goes cheap. $ 50000 to Bangalore. Pomersbach keeps up with the tradition of players who haven't played the Ashes doing well in the auctions

12.11 pm - Another Ashes hero bites the dust. Ian Bell unsold even at a base price of $ 100000

12.10 pm - Welcome back. Short break was an exciting experience

11.58 am - What an hour of cricket it has been. Time for drinks interval! Madley calls for it and there will be a short 5 to 10 minute break. I will quickly grab myself a cuppa

11.57 am - Geoff Lawson factor helps another Aussie player. Stephen O Keife, an unheralded spinner from Australia is picked up by Kochi for the solo bid of $ 20000 by Kochi

11.56 am - No takers for Malinga Bandara, Suleiman Benn and Nikita Miller

11.55 am - Not as exciting a day as yesterday so far. No marquee players after all. But, expect surprises from time to time like we saw with Balaji and Munaf!

11.52 am - South African left-arm spinner who can bat well Rolef Van de Merve is snapped up by Delhi for a pittance, $ 50000. That is a great buy!

11.50 am - England's Ashes party seems to be over! Another English player at the receiving end. Monty Panesar unsold for $ 50000.

11.50 am - No bids at $ 400000 for James Anderson but Munaf finds a taker at $ 700000 and Balaji at $ 500000. Isn't it strange???

11.45 am - 'Balaji dheere chalo' certainly not seems to be the theme in the auction room. There is a big and fast hunt for Lakshmipathy Balaji as Chennai look desperate to retain him.Eventually snapped up by Kolkata for $ 500000

11.43 am - Australian bowler Clint McKay up next. Remember him? He was the bowler who got Sachin out in that hyderabad classic between India and Australia. Mumbai pick up Clint McKay for $ 110000. That is a big bargain

11.40 am - Another Indian quick, Umesh Yadav next. He toured South Africa with the World No.1 team. Will that help his price tag? Yes it does. Umesh shoots from a base price of $ 50000 to $ 750000 as Delhi snap him up. Risky asset is the best description I can think of. Very risky, maybe!

11.38 am - Speedster Shaun Tait goes for a solo opening bid of $ 300000 to Rajasthan. That is a big gamble. And if it pays off, he can win you matches on his own as he is a devastating bowler on his day

11.35 am - Munaf Patel up next. There is some serious demand for the 'line and length' man. Four years ago, he came up as a fast bowling talent who could touch 145 easily in domestic cricket. It is all gone now. Munaf struggles to get 130 plus! Can you believe this? Munaf Patel has gone to Mumbai for $ 700000 . Just a little less than Morne Morkel. Value buy?

11.33 am - Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof goes unsold. Delhi make no effort to retain him

11.30 am - Ashok Dinda is a curious case in point. a prodigious talent, who sometimes lets you down badly. Kolkata would know every bit of that. Will the franchisees chase him? They are! Delhi pick Dinda up for $ 375000.They still believe in the mighty talent that Dinda is. He sure will need to get his act right though to justify his demand.

11.25 am - Bangalore desperate to retain Vinay Kumar. He did a great job last year for his club and Mallya feels he knows 'Chinnaswamy' better than most other bowlers. Bangalore give up beyond a point. Kochi snap Vinay Kumar up for $ 475000. Party time at Davangere!! Another small town wonder who is making it big in Indian cricket

11.23 am - South African quick Charle Langeveldt is next up. He is a good T20 player as was seen recently and is an excellent slower ball bowler in late stages of an inning. Bangalore snap him for $ 140000.

11.22 AM - Delhi snap up Agarkar for $ 210000. That is an interesting buy for another ageing player. The 'Indian' factor motors along in this auction

11.22 am - ANOTHER INTERESTING MOMENT. AJIT AGARKAR IS IN HOT DEMAND!!!

11.21 am - Justin Kemp too goes unsold. The new era I suppose. IPL seems uninterested in Kemp, Oram, Dwayne Smith and Jayasuriya. What would have happened say 5 years ago for the same players!

11.20 am - Expensive Jacob Oram also unsold. $ 200000 may be a bit expensive

11.20 am - West Indies dashing all-rounder Dwayne Smith unsold.

11.20 am - Exciting Thisara Pereira next up. This is unbelievable. He finds few takers. Kochi steal him up for a big bargain $ 80000. Strange are the ways of T20 and IPL. Daniel Christian finds a price 12 times more than Thisara!!!

11.15 am - It suddenly livens up. Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian finds plenty of takers. Again, remember he was nowhere near the Ashes! Goodness me! Chargers are chasing him literally. Daniel Christian snapped up for $ 900000 by Chargers. That is a massive sum. Is there something in Daniel that isn't there in a $ 200000 Jayasuriya???? Again, another surprise!

11.12 am - Another Ashes hero bites the dust. Tim Bresnan goes unsold. Isn't it a joke he has been bracketed in the all-rounder category?

11.11 am - Very inauspicious start to day two. Sanath Jayasuriya could have been a steal at $ 200000. He is a match-winner and don't forget his bowling and fielding abilities. After all, he was in the all-rounder bracket

11.10 am - And finally a big one. Sanath Jayasuriya finds no takers. SHOCKING

11.10 am - Another joke of a base price. Michael Yardy set at $ 400000. Obviously no takers

11.08 am - Only 1 bid after 10 players under the hammer. This is a very quiet start. Wicketkeepers are having a torrid time in the auctions. Matt Prior and Mark Boucher were not bid for. Where on earth would the others be lucky?

11.05 am - Finally, there ia a maiden bid for day two. Australian wicketkeeper Mathew Wade finds Delhi Daredevils putting in a solo bid for $ 100000 and they win it.

11.01 am - Bad start to the day. First three players off the block, Indika de Saram, Denesh Ramdin and Tatendu Taibu find no takers

11.00 am - Let's play says umpire Madley. This is a different ball game. There are only 10 players in the field! Yesterday, 52 milion spent. Today, only over 19 million left. And there are 264 players left

10.59 am - Will yesterday's failures meet with success today? Ganguly, Gayle, Gibbs, Lara, Anderson, Swann.......... The list in endless. But, is there money left to pick them up?

10.56 am - Just a couple of minutes left now and the teams are walking out to the middle. Umpire Madley leads them in. It should be another fascinating day's play in this great Indian IPL Bazaar.

10.55 am - Dr. Mallya's tactics were quite strange yesterday. They let go Dale Steyn without a real fight and then snapped up Zaheer Khan and Dirk Nannes for fairly high prices. They could have easily retained Steyn if they had bid for him. Steyn went for just $ 1.2 million. RCB are now left with the least in the whole bunch with just $ 1.02 million

10.50 am - What will Kolkata do today? They had some fabulous 'investments' yesterday as they go for a big revamp. Brett Lee, Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan and Brad Haddin, all combined at under $ 1.5 million. But, they also spent $ 4.5 million for Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan. Kolkata only have $ 1.425 million left

10.46 am - Rajasthan have very little money left on the table. Just $ 1.2 million. Shilpa Shetty went for the 'oldies' in the line-up. Some handy buys including Botha and Dravid. They really needed solidity at the top of the batting order and they now have got that.

10.45 am - Hyderabad and Delhi have some fuel left in the tank. Chargers are left with $ 3.5 million and Delhi with $ 3.155 million. Who are they eyeing? Surely, Dehi and Chargers are the dark horses for the day. Watch out

10.41 am - Auctioneer Richard Madley says he is perfectly warmed up for today. Remember, he has a long day ahead of him. Yesterday, only 80 players went under the hammer. Today, over 250 have to go.. Gear up guys. Longggggggggggggg Dayyyyyyyy ahead!!!

10.40 am - Mumbai are left with $ 1.36 milion now and they have spent $ 7.64 million. They pumped in $ 2 million for Rohit Sharma. Now, was that expensive?

10.35 am -Chennai are left with $ 1.375 million now and they have spent $ 7.625 million. Don't forget folks. They have retained four players before coming into this auctions

10.31 am - Not much money left on the table now for the franchisees. They have spent a large part of their budget yesterday itself. But, the small budget factor makes it all the more exciting. After all, it gives a great scope to grab bargains. Watch out for bargain hunters

10.30 am - Someone said that was a tribute to India's growing status as the unbeatable side in world cricket these days. Important point, isn't it?

10.30 am - It really is 'Indian' Premier League so far. I was looking at all the figures last night and let me tell, Indian players will be smiling away to the banks. Nearly 70% of fund allocation has gone to the Indians

10.30 am - Good Morning folks. Welcome back to MSN India's continued coverage of IPL-4 auctions. Yesterday was a cracker and what is in store today? We will know as the day goes on

Highlights of day one
Top five value buys of the day

Davey Jacobs - $ 190000 - Mumbai
JP duminy - $ 300000 - Chargers
Brad Haddin - $ 325000 - Kolkata
Eoin Morgan - $ 350000 - Kolkata
Brett Lee - $ 400000 - Kolkata

Best 'imports' of the day

Dale Steyn - $ 1.2 million - Deccan Chargers
Mahela Jayawardene - $ 1.5 million - Kochi
David Hussey - $ 1.4 million - Kings XI
Muralitharan - $ 1.1 million - Kochi
Ross Taylor - $ 1 million - Rajasthan Royals

Big misses of the day

No bids for Sourav Ganguly, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Graeme Swann, Tamim Iqbal, Matt Prior, Mark Boucher and James Anderson. While Ganguly and Lara were understandable misses, what about the others? Did franchisees miss a trick?

Sangakkara has gone for less than half the price of Jayawardene. Sanga has been taken by Chargers for $ 700000 while Jayawardene has been picked by Kochi for $ 1.5 million

Did you know?

The retainer fee estimated for Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag is $ 1.8 million. Now, five players have gone past them. Even Saurabh Tiwary has gone for 1.6 million, which is not too far from the masterly duo of Sachin and Viru.

Top five picks of the day

1. Gautam Gambhir - $ 2.4 million - Kolkata
2. Yusuf Pathan - $ 2.1 million - Kolkata
3. Robin Uthappa - $ 2.1 million - Pune
4. Rohit Sharma - $ 2 million - Mumbai
5. Irfan Pathan - $ 1.9 million - Delhi

06.15 pm - What a day it has been. Money was simply flowing in Bangalore. It was Indians all the way today

06.10 pm - And that is it for the day. Madley brings to an end what has been an incredible day of buying and selling. The backlog will be covered up tomorrow it seems.

06.05 pm - Collingwood will be playing under Warne in IPL-4. How about that!!!

06.05 pm - A rare English failure at the recent Ashes is out now. Paul Collingwood is still the captain of the team that became the world champion in T20 cricket. But, the recent form seems to be working in the minds of the bidders. Collingwood is picked up by Rajasthan for $ 250000.

06.02 pm - The sun has set in most parts of India but certainly not in Chennai. At least not where Subramanian Badrinath is residing. The franchisees are going for a kill to grab him. After a slug fest between Chennai and Kochi, Badrinath is snapped by Chennai for $ 800000

06.00 pm - The official time for day one of auctions to end was 6 pm but there is a big lag. Not even 100 of the proposed 350 have been traded. The marquee took away plenty of time. Do not expect such long delays going forward since the purses are now trimmer and you don't shop without a purse in your hand, would you?

05.56 pm - Next man in is the new test sensation Cheteshwar Pujara. Will he also be written off as a test specialist or will the bidders charge for him in the shortest version? Looks like he is being chased. Pujara sold to Bangalore for $ 700000. Is it a gamble to put out such a sum on an untested T20 player?

05.52 pm - Indian batsman Manoj Tiwari picked by Kolkata for $ 280000. A good investment into the top order. Tiwary can play a longish innings and serve as a foil for attacking batsmen at the other end

05.50 pm - Australian Callum Ferguson keeps up the tradition of Aussie players without the Ashes black mark on them doing well at the auctions. He is snared by Pune for $ 300000

05.50 pm - Tamim has a base price of $ 100000 and that is a steal. A golden player available at the price of copper. Bad bidding

05.45 pm - ANOTHER SHOCKER. TAMIM IQBAL FINDS NO BUYERS

05.42 pm - Another player who didn't play the Ashes, Brad Hodge out under the hammer now. And like all the others who didn't play the Ashes, 'Mr. Consistent' Hodge too is getting great bids against his name. Hodge has been picked up by Kochi for $ 425000

05.40 pm - Same is the case with English batsman Eoin Morgan. During the Pak-Eng series in August 2010, Morgan was a big match-winner on more than an occasion. Franchisees are well aware of that as they chase him. Morgan is snapped up by Kolkata for $ 350000. Excellent value investment

05.38 pm - Australian Aaron Finch next up. he is seeing plenty of interest with the 'mature' franchisees who are increasingly investing in the future. Finch is picked by Delhi for $ 300000

05.36 - Sri Lankan batsman Chamara Kapugedera remains unsold. When he started off his career, he was a dasher and now more of an accumulator and that has led his decline

05.33 pm - Looks like the purses are starting to trim down for franchisees. Nearly 70% of the money has already been spent. You could now start to see many players remaining unsold. Don't get surprised at all if that happens

05.31 pm - If McCullum was a surprise, the next one is a bigger surprise. Romesh Powar is seeing some bidding and is snapped by Kochi for $ 180000

05.30 pm - New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum gets only one bidder and that too at his base price of $ 100000 by Pune. This is surprising since McCullum is having a good run and is a very valuable T20 player

05.27 pm - Amit Mishra now and not too exciting in terms of interest from franchisees. He just ambles along. Mishra is picked up by Chargers for $ 300000

05.25 pm - A rare Indian failure today. Murali Karthik goes unsold for his base price of $ 200000

05.23 pm - This is very intriguing. Ojha gets $ 500000 and Ashwin gets $ 850000 . Wonder what would have happened to Bhajji if Mumbai had not retained him!

05.21 pm - Will Pragyan Ojha continue the 'Indian surge'? Not too much of interest in him and that is a bit of a surprise. Ojha goes to Chargers for $ 500000. Excellent deal

05.20 pm - Indians continue to rock at the auctions. Mystery spinner Ajanta Mendis fails to find takers and there is nothing mysterious about that.

05.18 pm - Next up is the star IPLer R.Ashwin. Will Chennai at least retain him after losing out on Murali? Yes they do. Chennai buy Ashwin for $ 850000

05.17 pm - The importance of having all-round abilities in T20 cricket. Piyush Chawla gets 950000 and Swann doesn't even find takers for his base price.

05.16 pm - And yes. He almost gets there. Piyush Chawla picked up for a stunning $ 900000 by Kings XI

05.15 pm - Will Indian spinners do better? Piyush Chawla is more than just a spinner. He is a very useful all-rounder and must get busy with the bidders. He does so. Chawla gets closer to the million mark

05.15 pm - This is incredible stuff. Ashes heroes are not finding takers. Anderson and now Swann.. What's going on?

05.13 pm - ANOTHER SHOCKER: GRAEME SWANN IS UNSOLD

05.12 pm - How much will the loss of Murali hurt Chennai? Will they now go for the best off-spinner in the world Graeme Swann?

05.11 pm - Muralitharan snared by Kochi for $ 1.1 million

05.10 pm - Momentum builds up for Murali. It is interesting. It is largely a South India battle. Chennai and Kochi slug it out. Chennai desperate to retain the match-winner. Murali gets closer to the million mark. That's great. Except Steyn, no other bowler has reached the million mark

05.07 pm - A crisp 2-min break just about enough to recharge our batteries as Madley launches the next bid. Muralitharan is off the blocks and is bid reluctantly for $ 350000 early on. It then starts to build up for the wily old fox. Will Chennai retain its son-in-law?

05.00 pm - It is 5 pm and we have now seen six hours of hectic auctioneering by Madley seperated by the two breaks. He just doesn't seem to tire at all.He gets another one to go under the hammer. Dougie Bollinger has been retained by Chennai for $ 700000. Good buy by Chennai

04.58 pm - The Aussies are fighting back. They are getting great bids all of a sudden. Dirk Nannes has been snapped up by Bangalore for $ 650000. Nannes didn't play in the AShes. Now, did that actually end up helping his price?

04.55 pm - Ryan Harris is next. But remember he is out with a foot injury for 3 to 4 months. Yet he has got some good bids. Harris has been picked by Kings XI for $ 325000

04.51 pm - This is unbelievable. The World's best fast bowler at this point of time has gone for peanuts. Steyn has been snapped up by Chargers for $ 1.2 million . This is a big fish and it comes at a pittance. Chargers are chasing him. They fancy fast bowlers, don't they? They had Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach but this one has to be the best buy for them

04.50 pm - And now comes Dale Steyn... Wow.. Will he break Gambhir's record? Ambitious?? Maybe yes. Maybe not

04.47 pm - Morne Morkel now. Once again I have to ask who sets the base price for players???? Brett Lee $ 400000 and Morkel $ 100000. It certainly defies logic. Morkel is being chased and chased big time by bidders. He has a great short ball and that is working in every bidder's mind. Morne Morkel is bought by Delhi for $ 475000

04.45 pm - Premiums are starting to pick up for quicks. Brett Lee up next. Lee is rocking in Australian domestic cricket and really enjoys playing in India. Just one bidder so far and that too at base price. Kolkata pick Lee up for $ 400000. This one looks like a discount!

04.42 pm - Delhites are having a good time. Gambhir is still the highest bid in this auction at $ 2.4 million. It is now the turn of Ashish Nehra. The bowler has had a good run in shorter version in recent times and therefore is finding favour with many franchisees. Gosh!!! They are racing with bids at F1 speed. Pune pick Nehra for $ 850000

04.40 pm - Praveen kumar is next and gets good bids. He is a tough customer especially early on in an innings. T20 will provide the captain an opportunity to bowl Praveen for 4 overs on the trot. Can be a real asset. Praveen has been bought by Kings XI for $ 800000

04.40 pm - Irony of T20 cricket. Supremely in-form Anderson finds no takers and terribly out-of-form Ishant finds many.

04.37 pm - Ishant Sharma off the blocks now.He has been horribly out of form and may even miss the World Cup bus. But, that doesn't matter at the auctions. Bidders seem to believe he will miss the World Cup and therefore will be fresh for the IPL-4, which will kick off in just 6 days after the World Cup. Ishant has gone to Chargers for $ 450000

04.35 pm - Another shocker. A real big one in that too. Ashes superstar James Anderson unsold. What is happening guys?

04.30 - Welcome back. Tea break is over and must tell you it was refreshing. It has been such a hectic day after all.

04.05 pm - And finally the 'umpire' calls tea... A short break. Lemme grab a cuppa. Remember it is just a short break. So, stay tuned with our Live updates and keep enjoying MSN India as you do so. Read our specials in sports, entertainment, news, lifestyle, auto, green and education. It is all here on MSN India.

04.05 pm - Last bid before the mid session ends. James Franklin goes to Mumbai Indians for the base price of $ 100000

04.03 pm - Madley suddenly looks in a real hurry to go for a tea break. Australian all-rounder Steve Smith too goes for a single bid. Kochi win Smith for $ 200000

04.00 pm - West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo now. Will Mumbai try to retain him? No. They don't. Can you believe it that Bravo has just one bid. Chennai win Dwayne Bravo for $ 200000. What a strike Chennai! Superb buy

03.57 pm - Match-winner time again. This time Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lankan all-rounder who shut out Australia with an amazing partnership with Malinga at MCG a few months ago in that historic series win for the Lankans down under. Mathews picked up by Pune for $ 950000 . Great pick at a low price.

03.55 pm - Next up Abhishek Nayar, who added so much solidity to Mumabi middle-order. He is a hot property going for peanuts in terms of base price, which is just $ 50000. Abhishek Nayar snapped up by Kings XI for $ 800000. That is in simple terms $ 750000 above his base price. Cool for the Mumbaikar who will now play for Punjab

03.50 pm - Another $ 400000 up for grabs. Stuart Broad. Just when it looked like he too would go unsold, Kings XI put in a solo bidof $ 400000 and win him.

03.50 pm - Time for Bangladesh to celebrate. I would be very interested to see what happens to Tamim Iqbal. He should be really hot when his turn comes along

03.46 pm - Next up is Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan Rana. He should get some good bidding. Mashrafe Mortaza elicited good interest last time around. Now, will Rana add to the glorious moments of Bangladesh cricket? Looks like he is. Shakib has been sold to Kolkata for $ 425000

03.45 pm - Another $ 400000 goes unsold. Luke Wright

03.42 pm - Next up is Ravindra Jadeja. Can he find some 'peace' here? Am pretty sure Rajasthan won't bid for him. Or will they? He is finding price though. Quite good ones too. He is a useful all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja snared by Kochi for $ 950000.

03.40 pm - James Hopes picked by Delhi for $ 350000

03.38 pm - A two-minute break for Madley. He must be pretty exhausted. No, he isn't tells me his close aide. 'He is used to auctions as it is his bread and butter'.....

03.34 pm -Great buy by Mumbai Indians. Dave Jacobs for $ 190000. That is a big steal. Mumbai are doing it very well here in the auctions. Ambanis are putting their business expertise to full force it certainly seems

03.31 pm - Dave Jacobs up next. Remember this name. Easily the hero of CL T20. What price will he go at? His base price is a shocker. $ 20000. Oh come on. He was a genuine match-winner during CL T20. Does that mean CL T20 is not about champion of champions? Jacobs will sure get a muich better price.

03.30 pm - Bad luck continues for foreign wicketkeepers. Mark Boucher unsold as well

03.30 pm - Another shocker. Ashes hero Matt Prior goes unsold

03.20 pm - Tim Paine next up. Remember, Steve Waugh even called him captaincy material and we will know if the bidders think of the young Aussie talent in the same manner. They do as bids pour in. The battle of the Marathas eventually won by Pune. Tim Paine bought by Pune for $ 270000

03.17 pm - Brad Haddin next up and The Ashes hangover is clearly showing although Haddy has been a rare 'form' player for Australia. Bidders unwilling to risk Aussie players? Only Kochi has sent out a bid of $ 200000. Hmmm. It finally starts to increase in suddenly as KKR and Kochi slug it out. Haddin picked up by Kolkata for $ 325000

03.15 pm - Naman Ojha next and is he out to surprise as well? Great bids for him. This guy must be some talent. Delhi have got Naman Ojha for $ 270000. So what if Delhi have lost Dinesh Karthik, they have got a new wicketkeeper.

03.13 pm - Hmmm. Wicketkeepers mela going on. Next up is Dinesh Karthik, who is more known for his batting skills in T20. And that's why, his bids are soaring. Will he hit million dolar mark as well???? Looks like he might. And No. He just misses that by a whisker. Dinesh Karthik has gone for a staggering $ 900000 to Kings XI

03.11 pm - From one wicketkeeper to another. Wridhiman Saha sadly finds few takers. Chennai snap up Saha for $ 100000. Two wicketkeepers for Chennai at a time when some teams are struggling to have one. That is quite interesting.

03.10 pm - Not such bad luck for former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who recently even played for India against New Zealand. He kept bidders interested. Finally, Kochi picked up Parthiv for $ 290000.

03.10 pm - $ 50000 players now. Starting Graham Manou, Aussie wicketkeeper. He fails to get a single bid. A bit surprising I must say. Manou is a good keeper and an attacking batsman

03.05 pm - Not surprising at all. Lara not getting a T20 bid. After all, his base price was set at $ 400000. He doesn't have too much of T20 experience either..

03.02 pm - BIG BREAKING NEWS... NO BIDS FOR BRIAN LARA...

03.00 pm - Are the Aussies who played in the Ashes paying a price here????? Another 'non-Ashes' player is out now, David Warner, the dangerous opener. He is going hot on the table. Bids are surging for Warner and Delhi are desperate to retain him it seems. David Warner retained by Delhi for $ 750000

02.59 pm - Pathan family - $ 4 million. Hussey family $ 1.85 million.

02.56 pm - Next up is Michael Hussey's brother David Hussey. The world knows the junior Hussey to be a better T20 player and he is proving that on the table too. While Mike went to Chennai for under half a million, David Hussey has been snapped up by Kings XI for $ 1.4 million.

02.55 pm - No, it is not. There is truce as Bangalore pick Tiwary for $ 1.6 million. What drama surrounding Tiwary's sale!

02.50 pm - Would you believe it? Saurabh Tiwary is coming close to record levels.... Ranchi is already celebrating.. But, even as Tiwary might be gleeing away, look at what is happening in the auction room. Sidd Mallya has gone to the Zinta table. Is there a confrontation happening?????

02.47 pm - Wait a minute. Tiwary not done yet. Once again controversy as the hammer and a bid go up at the same time. Tiwary bid continues... Or does it? Madley, the stern umpire says he is the big boss and the final judge. What's happening?

02.45 pm - Will Mumbai Indians let go their valuable prodigy, Saurabh Tiwary? They aren't bidding aggressively for this dashing batsman. Who will pick him up and what price? Oh.. Tiwary is going great guns. Will he hit the million dollar mark? Yes. He does. Saurabh Tiwary goes to Bangalore for $ 1.4 million. When was the last time you saw such a price for being a 'prodigy'? Someone around me says Tiwary is getting the price for having played alongside Sachin Tendulkar. Maybe

02.41 pm - Quick bidding on at smaller prices. Big 'values' coming in at good prices. Chargers are doing well on that front. They have snapped up Shikhar Dhawan at just $ 300000

02.40 pm - South African middle-order JP Duminy gets bidders interested. He is snapped up at an excellent price by $ 300000 by Chargers. Are Chargers going for value buys? Looks like they are

02.37 pm - Australian opener Shaun Marsh snapped up by $ 400000. Must say they have done well to retain Marshie

02.36 pm - Thanks to Ryder, the 'G' factor is broken with regards to unsold players. Michael Hussey up next and goodness me! Hussey has gone only for $ 425000 by Chennai. That is a bargain. Well done Chennai

02.35 pm - Unsold players so far - Ganguly, Gayle, Gibbs and Ryder. Will be interesting to see what happensa to them at the end of the day. I cannot help not think about Brian Lara too. What will happen to him? Will there be bids for Lara at all?

02.30 pm - Shocker of a start to second session. Jesse Ryder and Hershelle Gibbs both unsold first up for a base price of $ 100000 and $ 200000 respectively. This is an unbelievable start.

02.25 pm - Welcome back folks. It was meant to be a quick bite but ended up being an IPL lunch. Full of discussions and I suppose it will go on for the next couple of days

Morning session winners

KKR

Gautam Gambhir- $ 2.4 million
Yusuf Pathan- $ 2.1 million
Jacques Kallis- $ 1.1 million

RCB

Tillakaratne Dilshan- $ 650,000
Zaheer Khan- $ 900,000
AB de Villiers- $ 1.1 million
Daniel Vettori- $ 550,000

Rajasthan Royals

Ross Taylor- $ 1 million
Rahul Dravid- $ 500,000
Johan Botha- $ 950,000

Deccan Chargers

Kevin Pietersen- $ 650,000
Cameron White- $ 1.1 million
Kumar Sangakkara- $ 700,000

Team Kochi

Mahela Jayawardene- $ 1.5 million
VVS Laxman- $ 400,000
Brendon McCullum- $ 475,000
Sreesanth- $ 900,000
R.P Singh- $ 500,000

Team Pune

Yuvraj Singh- $ 1.8 million
Graeme Smith- $ 500,000
Robin Uthappa- $ 2.1 million

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma- $ 2 million
Andrew Symonds- $ 850,000

Delhi Daredevils

Irfan Pathan- $ 1.9 million

Chennai Super Kings

No winning bids yet

Kings XI Punjab

Adam Gilchrist- $ 900,000

01.23 pm - And finally, 'umpire' Madley calls lunch. The bidders will reassemble at 2.30 pm. Expect a lot more in the second session. There have been fireworks in the first. Let us also grab a quick bite and as we do that, take a look at the bids of the morning session

01.22 pm - Last played under the hammer in the morning session, RP Singh. Sold to Kochi for $ 500000.

01.20 pm - Gayle unsold and Irfan goes for near a record. Are bidders losing it? Yeah.. As I write this, I am nudged about Uthappa too. Hmm.. Surprises. Well, that's what IPL auctions are all about. Aren't they?

01.15 pm - The Pathans are having a field day. Irfan and Yusuf together have grossed $ 4 million. Party time in Baroda today

01.12 pm - Glam does play its role in IPL auctions. Irfan Pathan hasn't really played competitive cricket for sometime now but is racing ahead in bidding. Irfan Pathan crosses the million dollar mark too like his brother Yusuf. Delhi Daredevils win Irfan Pathan for $ 1.9 million. Baffling is perhaps the right word here.

01.10 pm - West Indies opener Chris Gayle up next. Absolute shocker!!! No bids for Gayle. This is unbelievable. Ganguly understandable. What about Gayle???? He is a big match-winner on his day and he can be destructive!

01.08 pm - The angry young man of Indian cricket, Sreesanth is up next. Onus on Kochi to snap their hero. But, will they allow sentiment to get the better of rationale beyond a point? Decent start for Sree. Gets many bids above his base price of $ 200000. Kochi step up a last minute bid to grab Sreesanth up for $ 900000 . No Bhajji any more Sree. You can stop crying!

01.06 pm - Another New Zealander Brendon McCullum out off the blocks now. Few will ever forget the cracking century on the opening day of the first IPL match ever. Will that still work for the dashing opener? Not really. McCullum gains very little from his base price of $ 400000. RCB pick up McCullum for $ 475000. Excellent bid and what a price to get it! Well done Kochi

01.05 pm - How will Hyderabad react to the fact that Chargers have gone slow on VVS? NZ captain Daniel Vettori up next and some bidding for the wily left-arm spinner. Vettori is picked at $ 550000 by Bangalore

01.00 pm - Lunch? No says the 'umpire' Madley. Let's get on with it. Finish off a very very special bid before any thought of break. VVS Laxman. Great test match form but never likes the shortest version. Luckily, he finds Kochi bidding for him even as Hyderabad desert him. Laxman goes to Kochi for the base price of $ 400000

12.52 pm - Gambhir for $ 2.4 million, Yusuf Pathan and Uthappa for $ 2.1 million. Records are tumbling at the auctions. Next up is South African off-spinner Johan Botha. Remember, Botha is a good all-rounder and has also captained SA in the absence of Smith. Expect some bidding for the 'unsuspecting' Botha. Rajasthan grab Botha at just $ 950000. Expensive? Not so sure!

12.50 pm - Bangalore boy Robin Uthappa off the block. A concerned look on the faces of RCB team think-tank, led by the Mallys and the new mentor Anil Kumble. They seem desperate to snap him up. Robin may be slightly out of touch in domestic cricket but that doesn't show up at the auctions. He races past the one million mark in no time at all. Can you believe it? Robin Uthappa has been grabbed by Pune for $ 2.1 million. Same price as Yusuf Pathan. His base price was just $ 200000 and was placed in tier-3!!! Money flowing at Bangalore literally!

12.43 pm - South African captain Graeme Smith is up next and meets the same fate as that of Dravid. Reluctant bidders. Only one bidder Pune and he is sold by Madley for $ 400000. But, hang on. photo finish here. Madley's hammer and Kochi's bid go at the same time. Smith gets a lifeline! Kochi's bid is accepted and the race continues. Not for too long though. Smith is sold to Pune for $ 500000

12.38 pm - The Indian connection is back. Rahul Dravid. Nervy moments in the room after what happened to Ganguly. But, hang on. Some relief for the 'Wall'. There is a bid after all. Rajasthan Royals makes the first bid and luckily for Dravid there are some small bids that start to come in. Very reluctant bidding. Hmmm! What's going on? After all the struggle, Dravid is won by Royals for $ 500000. Realistic bidding.

12.35 pm - The old warrior is out next. Australia missed him dearly during the Ashes. Who will snap him up? Adam Gilchrist, the IPL champion in 2009. Remember that inning in the semi final against Delhi? He is a huge match-winner. Agreed he isn't getting any younger but does age matter that much in the shortest version? Gilly gets measured bids. Kings XI pick Gilchrist up for $ 900000. That's a calculated bid

12.30 pm - Sri Lankan captain Kumara Sangakkara is out next. He just had a fallout with Kings XI Punjab over payment issues. Will they bid for him again? Well, they have not been present yet in this auction. Ohhh! He is gone for a smallish figure.. Sanga picked for $ 700000 by Deccan Chargers. That is a steal guys! Well done Chargers

12.25 pm - If you thought IPL-1 auctions was about some kind of crazy bidding, this one goes a step further. Andrew Symonds is out next in the marquee list and he is not seeing aggression the way he saw it last time around. Symmo remember had broken the record for being the highest bid player in the first auction three years ago. Nowhere near this time around as he has been virtually out of cricket. But, still a great bid of $ 850000. Symonds goes to Mumbai. A good risk taken by Mumbai at a not-too-bad price. After all, if Symmo roars, the opposition goes silent

12.20 pm - The city of Kolkata I hear has not taken it in good spirit. Their hero finds no takers. But then this is the reality isn't it? Base price was the problem for Ganguly. Rohit Sharma next. Ohhhh! He is finding many takers. Who says he is out of form? He too has crosses the million mark and hits the 2 million mark. What is happening out there???? Goodness gracious me! Rohit Sharma has been snared by Mumbai Indians for $ 2 million.

12.15 pm - How many players have gone for over a milion bucks? (in dollars) 6 so far! IPL bosses will be gleeing away and are they already walking away to the banks? Next up is the test specialist Jacques Kallis. The South African only just scored two hundreds in the Newlands test and is in rich form. Will that help him? Yes, it does. Kallis is snapped up by KKR for $ 1.1 million.

12.12 pm - The bidding room is silent. No Dadagiri! Next up is the Australian Cameron White, the first Aussie today. He will be happy he wasn't in the Ashes. His fortunes too could have gone up in smoke. But, White is aggressively bid for and is eventually won by Deccan Chargers for $ 1.1 million. Is there a subtle message from Chargers that they are replacing Gilchrist with White?

12.11 pm - No bidders for Ganguly. Will be interesting to see how Kolkata reacts to this bit of 'realistic' approach. First signs that sentiment has taken a back seat

12.10 pm - The big fish now. Sourav Ganguly. oops. Is he unsold? No one bid for him? If that is true, it will be a historic bit of news

12.10 pm - Welcome back folks

11.55 am - Can we have some breather Mr. Madley! This is breath-taking stuff at Bangalore. Exciting cricket match on at the table. The dashin South African AB de Villiers is up next under the hammer. He is okay with form of late but not great. Will it prune the bids on him? Not really. The bidders believe form is temporary and class is permanent. AB de Villiers goes to RCB for $ 1.1 million. And with that Madley calls for a Strategic timeout of 15 minutes. Finally a breather. I go and get myself a coffee as you keep checking out who has gone where!

11.50 am - And next up is a bidder's enigma. In fact every cricket lover's. He can be devastating on his day but can let you down if not. Yuvraj Singh. Great early interest for Yuvi. Gosh! All bidders queueing up big time for the dashing batsman. Even as we breathe, he too joins the million dollar mark. Mumbai haven't won yet today. Will they pick Yuvi up? Chargers and Mumbai slug it out and in the end out of the blue, Yuvraj goes to Pune for $ 1.8million. Pune too get their first player. What is happening out there? Measured approach to this year's auctions? Who says so????

11.45 am - Would you believe it? Mahela Jayawardene is finding better bids than KP... T20 can surprise. Ipl can even more. The Sri Lankan too gets into the million dollar babies of the auctions. Goodness me! He has been snapped for $ 1.5 million by Kochi. This is Team Kochi's first deal of the IPL. Not sure if you can ever call this a steal!

11.38 am - Is there money still left in the purses? Two players Gambhir and Pathan (Yusuf) have gone for nearly 5 million dollars. There are several big names still to come and straight up is KP. How much will he command? Ashes are in the bag and now can he get another New Year gift? Yes. He does. A decent $ 650000 for KP. Chargers finally have a player too. Very cautious so far, the Chargers. Are they saving the best for the rest?

11.35 am - Yusuf was a real 'Pathan' during the bidding. Bids flew from the tables and it ended at $ 1. million. In the end, it was $ 2.1 million and the winner, KKR. Marginally short of Gautam Gambhir's bid in the end but still a big sum. Calculators out please.. I need conversion to Indian currency

11.30 am - Madley gets breathless and wanna know why? It is because the next up on the block is Yusuf Pathan. Huhhhhhhhhhhhh! He is hot and up and running. Every franchisee wants him. he is a genuine match-winner and is in prime form. Will he break the day's record of Gambhir????? Game on

11.30 am - RCB almost pulled off Taylor at $ 850000 by RCB before Rajasthan Royals make a bid at the last minute and lap him up at $ 1 milion. Wow. the second player to go for a million or plus. Rational bidding? You take a call

11.25 am - And that is where it stops. RCB lap Zak up for $ 900000. Ross Taylor is up next. Will RCB bid again or let him off? Will the Kiwi batsman suffer from NZ's poor cricket of late? We will know

11.20 am - Dilshan's poor on-field form of late shows on the table too. He is just priced at $ 650000 and won byRCB. Good deal one must say. Breathless stuff already. Zak is up next and the bidders get busy again. the race is on for the in-form Zaheer. The only risk with Zak is his frequent injury concerns. Chargers will know about it with Kemar Roach and the way theyr burnt their fingers. But, Zak's doing okay on the table. The bids near $ 1 million as we write this.

11.17 am - Next up is Sri Lankan dasher Tilekaratne Dilshan. Suspect he wil see that kind of aggression in bidding by franchisees. Let's see what happens

11.16 am - Someone near me converted that to Indian rupee. At current exchange rates, it come to 11.4 crore rupees. That is some money, isn't it?

11.15 am - What a start to the campaign. Gautam Gambhir is really hot with the franchisees. He races ahead dollar after dollar as Mumbai, Pune, Kochi and Bangalore slug it out. Surprisingly, Delhi stay quiet. Would you believe it? KKR come in at $ 2 million. It just didn't stop at all. After an aggressive round of bidding, Gambhir is won $ 2.4 million by KKR. That is staggering considering the base price of $ 200,000. Astronomical? Oxford needs a new word probably. Huhhhhh!

11.00 am - IPL-4 auctions begin. Richard Madley, the renowned auctioneer gets it underway. First under the hammer is Gautam Gambhir. Aggressive bidding on for Gambhir

10.55 am - Keep your eyes on the 'marquee' players. It is a long and enviable list. Jacques Kallis is one of them. Where do you all think he might go? Meanwhile, Vijay Mallya gives some hint of what could be coming as he says ' It's not about money but about getting a well-balanced team". Way to go Dr. Mallya

10.50 am - It is starting to warm up a bit at the auction venue with biggies starting to chip in... Must tell you the ones from Delhi must be a relieved lot looking at the temperatures in Bangalore. Very pleasant and not a bit cold. Minimum temperatures are hovering over 15 degrees over the last couple of days and that is great news

10.40 am - Remember the basic rules going into the big event. There are two days of auctions. Auction timings - 11 am to 6 pm
Lunch break from 1 pm to 2.30 pm
Tea break from 4.15 to 4.45 pm

10.30 am - It is just another 30 minutes to go for the big moment to kick off. Remember, the auctions will take place over 2 days this time around. The 'marquee' players will first be sold off in the first one hour and that itself will be very exciting. There are some big names in that envious list