New Delhi, January 07: Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi, promising teenage pacer Mohhamad Aamir, star batsman Umar Akmal, Kiwi pacer Shane Bond and West Indian sensation Keiron Pollard are among 51 cricketers, who have been shortlisted by IPL after pruning down the initial list of 96 players for its January 19 auction.
Stars like Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies), Nathan McCullum (New Zealand), Clint McKay and Doug Bollinger (Australia), Chanaka Welegedara and Nuwan Zoysa (Sri Lanka), and Yusuf Abdulla and Rory Kleinveldt (South Africa) have also found a place on the list that boasts some fine international talents.
The list features 11 players from Australia, 9 from South Africa, 8 from Sri Lanka, 8 from the West Indies, 7 from Pakistan, 4 from New Zealand and one each from Bangladesh, Canada, Holland and Zimbabwe.
As per the guidelines set by the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council, each one of the eight franchisees will have a fresh purse of 750,000 dollar to buy players.
”The IPL had received nearly 100 entries from international players, of which the eight franchisees had short listed 60 players for the auction on January 19 and out of which only 51 have been cleared for the auction. The remaining will be featured pending NOCs from the home boards,” IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said in a statement.
”The enthusiasm and interest displayed by players from all around the world to participate in IPL 2010 has been truly overwhelming. I would like to welcome the players from Canada and Holland in particular and also like to wish all of the 51 cricketers all the very best,” he added. List of 51 cricketers: 1 Mohammad Aamer, Pakistan, 2 Yusuf Abdulla, South Africa, 3 Shahid Afridi, Pakistan, 4 Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan, 5 Umar Akmal, Pakistan, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh, 7 Sulieman Benn, West Indies, 8 Doug Bollinger, Australia, 9 Shane Bond, New Zealand, 10 Darren Bravo, West Indies, 11 Rizwan Cheema, Canada, 12, Zander de Bruyn, South Africa, 13 Grant Elliot, New Zealand, 14 Daren Ganga, West Indies, 15 Murray Goodwin, Zimbabwe, 16 Brad Haddin, Australia, 17, Wavell Hinds, West Indies, 18 Phillip Hughes, Australia, 19, Thilina Kandamby, Sri Lanka, 20 Justin Kemp, South Africa, 21 Rory Kleinveldt, South Africa, 22 Ashley Noffke, Australia, 23 Jason Krejza, Australia, 24 Nuwan Kulasekera, Sri Lanka, 25 Ben Laughlin, Australia. 26 Graham Manou, Australia, 27 Damien Martyn, Australia, 28 Nathan McCullum, New Zealand, 29 Clint McKay, Australia, 30 Rana Naved Ul Hasan, Pakistan 31, Imran Nazir, Pakistan, 32 Wayne Parnell, South Africa, 33 Thisara Perera, Sri Lanka, 34 Vernon Philander, South Africa 35 Kieron Pollard, West Indies, 36 Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan 37, Kemar Roach West Indies, 38 Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indies 39 Peter Siddle, Australia, 40 Chamara Silva, Sri Lanka, 41 Lendl Simmons, West Indies, 42 Ryan ten Doeschate, Holland 43, Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka, 44 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, South Africa, 45 Johan van der Wath, South Africa, 46 Vaughn van Jaarsveld, South Africa, 47 Lou Vincent New Zealand, 48 Adam Voges Australia, 49 Kaushalya Weeraratne, Sri Lanka, 50 Chanaka Welegedara, Sri Lanka, 51 Nuwan Zoysa Sri Lanka.
——-Agencies