Mumbai : India’s limited-over captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday emerged as the top draw in the IPL draft with the Sanjeev Goenka-owned franchise Pune opting to pick him first for the stipulated price of Rs 12.5 crore. Dhoni’s teammate Suresh Raina was the first preference of the other new team, Rajkot, which is owned by Intex Mobiles. He will also get Rs 12.5 crore since he was the first player to be picked by the franchise. Seven players of the suspended Che-nnai Super Kings, including Dhoni, were picked along with three others from the Rajasthan Royals, also banned from the league for two years.
In-form Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane was the second choice for Pune, while Rajkot opted for Ravindra Jadeja in the same position. Both players will be entitled to a purse of Rs 9.5 crore per year. The draft process was necessitated following the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL for two years in the wake of the 2013 spot-fixing and betting scandal. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was picked by Pune as their third choice and will get a purse of Rs 7.5 crore. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was Rajkot’s choice. In the fourth spot, both the teams opted for Australians, with Steve Smith (Rs 5.5 crore) going to Pune and James Faulkner (Rs 5.5 crore) going to Rajkot.
Pune opted for South African batsman Faf du Plessis as their fifth and final player, while West Indian Dwayne Bravo was Rajkot’s pick. Both players will get Rs 4 crore. The draft pool only included players from Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, the two teams which have been barred from participation. The players not pick- ed will now go to the general IPL auction scheduled for February 6. The next edition of the Twenty20 league will be held from April 9 to May 29.
