India’s limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday emerged the top draw in the IPL draft with the Sanjeev Goenka-owned new franchise Pune opting to pick him first for the stipulated price of Rs. 12.5 crore.
Dhoni’s India teammate Suresh Raina was picked to play for the Rajkot team. “Excited to play for the beautiful vibrant city- Rajkot in @IPL. Looking forward to have new teammates and support from the people of Gujarat,” Raina tweeted after the draft.
In-form Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane was the second choice for Pune, while Rajkot opted for Ravindra Jadeja in the same position. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was picked by Pune as their third choice. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was Rajkot’s choice.
Following the two-year suspension of the Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after being found guilty of breaching IPL regulations, new franchises from Pune (owned by New Rising) and Rajkot (Intex) have been roped in for the next two editions.
Here are Team Pune's and Team Rajkot's picks:
| Team Pune | Team Rajkot |
|---|---|
| M.S. Dhoni (Rs. 12.5 crore) | Suresh Raina (Rs. 12.5 crore) |
| Ajinkya Rahane (Rs. 9.5 crore) | Ravindra Jadeja (Rs. 9.5 crore) |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs. 7.5 crore) | Brendon McCullum (Rs. 7.5 crore) |
| Steven Smith (Rs. 5.5 crore) | James Faulkner (Rs. 5.5 crore) |
| Faf du Plessis (Rs. 4 crore) | Dwayne Bravo (Rs. 4 crore) |
The Draft Procedure
50 players, 25 each from Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, will be available to be signed pre-auction for both the teams. |
Pune being the lowest bidder during the team bidding last week will have the first right to claim a player. |
Both teams, on an alternate basis, will be able to sign five players from the pool of 50. The five players of each team will be valued at Rs. 12.5 crore, Rs. 9.5 crore, Rs. 7.5 crore, Rs. 5.5 crore and Rs. 4 crore each |
Pune franchise is likely to get its hands on Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Rajkot owners are likely to prefer hometown boy Ravindra Jadeja. |
No team can sign more than four capped Indian players. |
Some of the top players available for the draft include Dhoni, Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, James Faulkner and Sanju Samson. |
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