DUBAI , 7 December: Jaques Kallis will be teaming up with former India captain Sourav Ganguly and England off spinner Graeme Swann in forthcoming Masters Champions League . The South African all rounder was brought by Libra for a whopping $175,000 . Australian Adam Gilchrist, who was brought by Sagittarius became the second most expensive cricketer at the auction, attracting a bid price of $170,000 . The much-awaited Masters Champions League (MCL) hosted this season’s auction, in the presence of iconic cricket players and franchise owners of the final six teams. Set to be played in January 2016, the grand affair was star-studded, not just because of the cricket legends involved, but also because of the impressive list of owners that was formally revealed at the event.
The final six teams that will revive the magic on-ground next year will be;
- Sagittarius Soldiers, owned by Ashfaq Sheikh of Orange Limited
- Capricorn Commanders, owned by actor Sohail Khan and Pervez Khan
- Libra Legends, owned by Popcorn Sports and Entertainment Private Limited
- Gemini Arabians, owned by Khaitan Holdings
- Virgo Super Kings, owned by Rhiti Sports
- Leo Lions, owned by Manyata Dutt and Family
There were a total of twelve marquee players who were allocated to the teams before the auction.
- Abdul Razzaq and Michael Vaughan (Capricorn Commanders)
- Scott Styris and Heath Streak (Leo Lions)
- Sourav Ganguly and Graeme Swann (Libra Legends)
- Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara (Gemini Arabians)
- Mahela Jayawardene and Daniel Vettori (Sagittarius Soldiers)
- Graeme Smith and Azhar Mahmood (Virgo Super Kings)
The marquee list features two each from Pakistan, India, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, one each from South Africa and Zimbabwe. The marquee players’ list includes eight former international captains including India’s Ganguly and Sehwag, Vaughan of England, Smith from South Africa, the Sri Lankan duo of Sangakkara, and Jayawardene, New Zealand’s Vettori and Zimbabwean Streak.
Briefly commenting, Zarah Shah, MCL CEO, said “Our main aim is to take cricket to a higher level across the UAE and we believe that the response we have received in participation for the event is a great step forward in the right direction. The franchise owners and players are excited to see the turnout over the auction.”
The remainder of the 250-strong set of players were part of the historic auction on Monday at the Grandmidwest Tower, Media City in Dubai.
The biggest interest was around the six icon players-Muttiah Muralitharan, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist, Paul Collingwood and Brett Lee-who were sold first in the first round of auction. All six players started at a base price of US$100,000. There was active interest and sometimes intense bidding for the likes of Kallis and Gilchrist. Kallis ultimately was sold to Libra Legends for US$175,000. Gilchrist, on the other hand, went for US$170,000 to Sagittarius Soldiers.
The other icon players to be sold were:
- Brian Lara- US$100,000 (Leo Lions)
- Muttiah Muralitharan- US$120,000 (Gemini Arabians)
- Brett Lee-US$100,000 (Virgo Super Kings)
- Paul Collingwood-US$140,000 (Capricorn Commanders)
Grand Midwest Sports, the group that conceptualised the tournament, had launched the tournament in June 2015 at a grand ceremony at the iconic Burj Al Arab. The tournament is due to take place at some of the prime venues of United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Here are the complete list of players allotted to the teams:
Team Leo
Brian Lara [ICON] $100,000
Herschelle Gibbs - $40,000
Brendan Taylor - $70,000
James Franklin - $62,000
Johan Botha - $46,000
Robin Peterson - $80,000
Fidel Edwards - $90,000
Scott Styris - Legend ( Undisclosed)
Heath Streak - Legend ( Undisclosed )
Mohammad Tauqir
Neil Carter - $10,000
Hamish Marshall - $28,000
Gemini Arabians
Muttiah Muralitharan [ICON] $100,000
Kyle Mills - $42,000
Saqlain Mushtaq - $42,000
Virender Sehwag – Legend (Undisclosed)
Kumar Sangakkara – Legend (Undisclosed)
Jacques Rudolph - $58,000
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan - $38,000
Justin Kemp - $68,000
Libra Legends
Jacques Kallis [ICON] $100,000
Brad Hogg - $68,000
Sourav Ganguly – Legend (Undisclosed)
Graeme Swann – Legend (Undisclosed)
Ryan Ten Doeschate - $76,000
Ajay Ratra - $20,000
Chris Read - $20,000
Sean Ervine - $60,000
Shaun Tait - $60,000
Ryan Sidebottom - $32,000
Team Sagittarius
Adam Gilchrist [ICON] $100,000
Shane Bond - $30,000
Mahela Jayawardene - Legend (Undisclosed)
Daniel Vettori – Legend (Undisclosed)
Khurram Khan - $22,000
Phil Mustard - $26,000
Tino Best - $42,000
Team Virgo
Brett Lee [ICON] $100,000
Jonty Rhodes - $40,000
Neil McKenzie - $52,000
Graeme Smith - Legend (Undisclosed)
Azhar Mahmood - Legend (Undisclosed)
John Mooney - $31,000
Dirk Nannes - $40,000
Owais Shah - $75,000
James Foster - $29,000
Capricorn Commanders
Paul Collingwood [ICON] $100,000
Andrew Symonds - $80,000
Chamara Silva - $30,000
Ashwell Prince - $39,000
Upul Chandana - $30,000
Michael Vaughan – Legend (Undisclosed)
Abdul Razzaq – Legend (Undisclosed)
Ryan Mclaren - $64,000
Jeetan Patel - $56,000
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