THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The players’ auction ahead of the inaugural Kerala Cricket League (KCL) saw four players securing contracts worth over Rs 7 lakh each. M S Akhil emerged the costliest buy in the auction held at Hyatt Regency in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, with Trivandrum Royals acquiring the all-rounder for Rs 7.4 lakh.
Thrissur Titans spent Rs 7.2 lakh on wicketkeeper-batter Varun Nayanar. Manu Krishnan went to Kochi Blue Tigers for Rs 7 lakh, while Salman Nizar was picked up by Calicut Globstars for the same amount. In category C, all-rounder M Nikhil with a base price of Rs 50,000, was sold for Rs 4.6 lakh to Calicut Globstars. The auction featured 168 players in three categories with different base prices. Category A includes players who have played in the IPL and Ranji Trophy, with a base price of Rs 2 lakh. Category B includes players who have participated in CK Nayadu Under-23, Under-19 state, and Under-19 Challenger tournaments, with a base price of Rs 1 lakh.
Category C includes Under-16 state, university players and club cricketers with a base price of Rs 50,000.
Notably, seven players from Category B were sold for amounts higher than the base salary of Category A, with all-rounder Akshay Manohar fetching the highest price of Rs 3.6 lakh in category B. He was acquired by Thrissur Titans.
A total of 108 players bought by franchises
A total of 108 players were bought by the franchises. All 31 players in Category A were acquired, while 21 out of 43 players in Category B and 56 out of 94 players in Category C found new teams. Icon players selected earlier include P A Abdul Basith (Trivandrum Royals), Sachin Baby (Kollam Sailors), Mohammed Azharuddeen (Alappuzha Ripples), Basil Thampi (Kochi Blue Tigers), Vishnu Vinod (Thrissur Titans), and Rohan S Kunnummal (Calicut Globstars). The icon players will get 10% more than team’s costliest buy.
The auction was moderated by sports presenter Charu Sharma and was broadcast live on Star Sports 3 and the OTT platform FanCode.
The Kerala Cricket League matches will be held from September 2 to 19 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. KCL will be officially launched on August 31.
A total of 108 players bought by franchises
A total of 108 players were bought by the franchises. All 31 players in Category A were acquired, while 21 out of 43 players in Category B and 56 out of 94 players in Category C found new teams. Icon players selected earlier include P A Abdul Basith (Trivandrum Royals), Sachin Baby (Kollam Sailors), Mohammed Azharuddeen (Alappuzha Ripples), Basil Thampi (Kochi Blue Tigers), Vishnu Vinod (Thrissur Titans), and Rohan S Kunnummal (Calicut Globstars). The icon players will get 10% more than team’s costliest buy.
The auction was moderated by sports presenter Charu Sharma and was broadcast live on Star Sports 3 and the OTT platform FanCode.
The Kerala Cricket League matches will be held from September 2 to 19 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. KCL will be officially launched on August 31.
Top buys
M S Akhil (Trivandrum Royals) L7.4 lakh
Varun Nayanar (Thrissur Titans) L7.2 lakh
Manu Krishnan (Kochi Blue Tigers) L7 lakh
Salman Nizar (Calicut Globstars) L7 lakh
5. Ajnas M (Calicut Globstars) L6.2 lakh
6. Krishna Prasad (Alleppey Ripples) L6.2 lakh
7. KM Asif (Kollam Sailors) L5.2 lakh
8. Vinod Kumar CV (Trivandrum Royals) L5 lakh
9. Akshay Chandran (Alleppey Ripples) L5 lakh
10. Nikhil M (Calicut Globstars) L4.6 lakh