Sports
Cameron Green becomes most expensive overseas player; uncapped Indians go big
Australian allrounder Cameron Green has been bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 25.20 crore ($2.8 million approx.), making him the third-most expensive player sold at an IPL auction, and the most expensive overseas player ever.
KKR also bought the second-most expensive player at the IPL 2026 auction – Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana for INR 18 crore ($1.97 million approx.).
The record for the most expensive uncapped Indian player was also broken, with 20-year-old left-arm spin allrounder Prashant Neer and 19-year-old wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma going to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a staggering INR 14.2 crore each, breaking Avesh Khan’s INR 10 crore mark in the 2022 auction. Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi also had a big payday, with Delhi Capitals buying him for INR 8.4 crore.
KKR, who began the auction with the largest purse of INR 64.3 crore, had to stave off competition for Green from CSK, who had the second-highest purse of INR 43.4 crore. The bidding, though, began with Mumbai Indians (MI), who had to drop out of the race quickly because they had a purse of only INR 2.75 crore. Rajasthan Royals (RR), who had a purse of INR 16.05 crore, took the bid as far as INR 13.40 crore before exiting, at which point CSK joined the bidding against KKR.
Green’s bid took more than ten minutes to complete, and he ranks behind Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore) on the list of most expensive IPL players. The most expensive overseas players before Green were Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crore) and Pat Cummins (INR 20.50 crore). Green, however, will get only INR 18 crore due to a maximum salary cap imposed by the IPL on overseas players at mini-auctions. The bid amount in excess of INR 18 crore (INR 7.2 crore) will go to the BCCI for player welfare.
Green first played the IPL in 2023, when MI bought him for INR 17.5 crore. He scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28, and picked up six wickets. MI then traded Green to RCB a year later for the same price. He scored 255 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 143.25, and took ten wickets. Green did not register for the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025 because he was returning from a back injury.
Green was one of only two players sold from the first set of batters on Tuesday, along with South Africa batter David Miller, who went to Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of INR 2 crore. Jake-Fraser McGurk, Prithvi Shaw, Devon Conway and Sarfaraz Khan were unsold.
The lukewarm bidding continued into the second set of allrounders, with only two of seven players sold. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bought Sri Lanka’s Wanidu Hasaranga at his base price of INR 2 crore. Venkat Iyer, who had been bought by KKR for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, was sold to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 7 crore. Liam Livingstone, Rachin Ravindra, Gus Atkinson, Wiaan Mulder and Deepak Hooda were unsold in the first set of allrounders.
There was more action in the first set of wicketkeepers, with MI buying South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, DC buying England’s Ben Duckett, and KKR buying New Zealand’s Finn Allen – all at their base prices. CSK, who began the auction with the second-largest purse, did not buy a player from the first three sets.
CSK did not bid for Pathirana, who they had released at a price of INR 13 crore after IPL 2025. The demand for Pathirana began with DC and LSG, and once the bid reached INR 15.6 crore, DC dropped out considering they had a purse of INR 17.8 crore. KKR entered the bidding and priced out LSG, who had a purse of INR 20.95 crore, at INR 18 crore. Having missed out on Pathirana, LSG immediately bought South African quick Anrich Nortje at his base price of INR 2 crore.
RCB’s second buy at the auction was New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy (INR 2 crore), who could slot in as back-up for Josh Hazlewood.
CSK did bid for legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, but stopped once the price reached INR 6 crore. RR and SRH then bid for Bishnoi, and he was eventually bought by RR for INR 7.2 crore. Akeal Hosein, the West Indies left-arm spinner, was eventually CSK’s first buy at the auction, at his base price of INR 2 crore.
Only 12 out of 40 players in the first six sets were sold.
Players bought at auction
KKR : Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Dahiya, Kartik Tyagi
LSG: Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari
DC: David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi
RCB:Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy
MI:Quinton de Kock
RR:Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur
CSK:Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer
GT:Ashok Sharma
PBKS:
SRH: Shivang Kumar
(Cricinfo)
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the board’s finance committee, following the CWAB’s player boycott of cricket in country until he resigns from his position.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wishes to inform that, following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organisation, the BCB President has decided to release Mr. Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as Chairman of the Finance Committee with immediate effect,” the BCB said in a statement.
“The decision has been taken in accordance with the authority vested in the BCB President under Article 31 of the BCB Constitution and is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Board’s affairs. Until further notice, the BCB President will assume the role of Acting Chairman of the Finance Committee.
“The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The Board remains fully committed to upholding the honour and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction.
“In this regard, the BCB hopes that all cricketers will continue to display the highest standards of professionalism and dedication to the betterment of Bangladesh cricket during what is a challenging period for the game, and will do their utmost to ensure continued participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).”
Both BPL matches on Thursday – the first between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, and the second between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans – have been postponed due to the player boycott.
Even though there seemed to be movement on the issues – the BCB agreed to the player body CWAB’s demands and removed Nazmul Islam from his position as head of the board’s finance committee – but it came too late in the day for the matches to go ahead as scheduled. There was no confirmation yet whether the boycott would be called off or not, and whether the BPL matches on Friday would also be impacted.
[Cricinfo]
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has issued a show cause notice to its director M Nazmul Islam over his “objectionable comments” in public against the country’s cricketers on Wednesday.
The notice came a couple of hours before the scheduled start of the BPL matches for the day, though the players’ body CWAB has called for a nationwide boycott on all forms of cricket unless Islam tenders his resignation.
The four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League scheduled for the day didn’t start on Thursday morning, which caused serious concern in the BCB. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express players, who were supposed to play the first BPL match on Thursday, are sticking to the boycott.
“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read. “A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”
ESPNcricinfo understands that some board directors contacted the CWAB president Mohammad Mithun late on Wednesday night, offering that they would make Nazmul stand down from his role as the finance committee chairman. But Mithun said the cricketers’ call for the boycott remained in place.
The toss of the first BPL match on Thursday is at 12.30 pm local time. Once the start time for the match has passed, the CWAB leaders are supposed to hold a press conference, where they will present the BCB with their demands, including the resignation of the director.
[Cricinfo]
Sadio Mane fired Senegal into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over seven-time winners Egypt.
The two-time African Footballer of the Year broke the deadlock in the 78th minute on Wednesday when he let fly from just outside the penalty area inside the bottom left corner after Lamine Camara’s initial effort was blocked.
It sparked joy and relief among the Teranga Lions’ fans in Tangier, where the 2021 champions – after beating Egypt in the final – had taken the initiative but struggled to create clear chances against the Pharaohs’ stubborn defence.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the title match – against either host Morocco or Nigeria, who were to play in Rabat later on Wednesday – after picking up a yellow card that meant a suspension and then going off injured in the 23rd minute.
Koulibaly was booked in the 17th for a tactical foul on Omar Marmoush. The captain was also sent off in the group-stage win over Benin and consequently missed the win over Sudan. His tournament was effectively ended when he had to be replaced by Mamadou Sarr because of injury.
Nicolas Jackson had fired over just before Senegal displayed more attacking intent. Habib Diarra and Pape Gueye also had efforts saved.
Tensions boiled over when Mohamed Salah fouled his former Liverpool teammate Mane, but Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and Egypt counterpart Hossam Hassan managed to cool tempers.
Senegal’s Habib Diarra was booked for arguing, however, meaning he will miss the final, too.
[Aljazeera]
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