A list of 111 overseas players had been declared by the IPL (Indian Premier League), from which players will be chosen during the auction in Goa on 6th February 2009. There are 27 players from Australia, 19 players from England, 15 players from Sri Lanka, 14 players from South Africa, 12 players from Bangladesh, 9 players from New Zealand, 8 players from West Indies, 5 players from Pakistan and 1 player from Bangladesh. Possibly, each franchise in the IPL would select 2 players. Thus, out of this group of players about 16 would be chosen.
Modi’s statement
The IPL Commisioner, Lalit Modi stated that the base price of Kevin Pietersen is almost 0.25 to 0.35 million USD for each week. This amount can be compared with the earnings of top soccer players. The franchises are trying to include the top players from England. The amount that would be paid depends on the participation of the players. There are 14 league games and so, if a player participates in 7 of these, he would be paid half the amount.
Some of the players that are included in the list are as follows:
Australia: Mark Cosgrove, Shaun Tait, Jason Krejza, Doug Bollinger, Brad Hogg, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin.
England: Dominic Cork, Darren Gough, Owais Shah, Sajid Mahmood, James Foster, Monty Panesar, Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Malinga Bandara, Jehan Mubarak, Thilina Kandamby, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara.
South Africa: Johan Botha, Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince.
Bangladesh: Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan.