The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction kicked off with a heated bidding war between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the acquisition of West Indies batter Rovman Powell on Tuesday.
In the initial round of the auction, focusing on capped batters, West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell, with a base price of 1 crore, emerged as the first player up for grabs. KKR initiated the bidding, sparking a competitive paddle war with RR. Ultimately, Kolkata Knight Riders secured Powell’s services for a whopping Rs 7.4 crore in the opening round.
Interestingly, Rajasthan Royals joined the fray, securing Powell for the same amount, spending nearly half of their remaining auction budget of 14.50 crore.
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Meanwhile, Australian batter Travis Head, celebrated for his heroics in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup final, entered the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore. After an intense bidding war with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Head was successfully auctioned to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 6.80 crore. Notably, Head has previously been part of Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
On a different note, England batter Harry Brook, entering the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore, found a new home with Delhi Capitals, fetching a deal worth 4 crore.
However, some notable names, including South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw, India’s Karun Nair, and Manish Pandey, along with former Australian captain Steve Smith, remained unsold in the opening set of the auction.
-IANS
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