Bengaluru: Jonathan Rongsen and left-arm seamer Prateek Jain were the hottest buys as 219 cricketers from the state went under the hammer for the fifth edition of the Karnataka Premier League, here on Wednesday.
The Railways batsman Jonathan, who sported Belagavi Panthers colours last season, was picked up by Mysuru Warriors for a whopping Rs 3.5 lakh while Jain was bagged for the same amount by Bellary Tuskers. The franchise, coming into the auction with the intention of rebuilding their squad, bought all-rounder Suneel Raju for Rs. 3.35 lakh. Warriors went into a bidding war with the other franchisees before snaring burly pacer Vyshak Vijayakumar for Rs 3.2 lakh.
Hard-hitting batsman Arshdeep Singh Brar was purchased by Bijapur Bulls for Rs 2.6 lakh while lanky pacer David Mathias was sold to Namma Shivamogga for an identical price. Mangalore United snapped up stylish left-hander Shishir Bhavane for Rs 2.5 lakh while RWF cricketer Manjesh Reddy was pouched by Hubli Tigers for Rs 2.55 lakh.
In-form India cricketer KL Rahul went unsold as the teams expected him to be called up for national duty for the New Zealand series during KPL. Stuart Binny, who also went unsold in Pool A auction, was picked up by Shivamogga for a bargain price of Rs 70,000, though the all-rounder’s availability depends on his selection in the national team.
