IPL 2012 Auctions: CSK Paid Excess of $6M for Ravindra Jadeja

In 2011 Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir set a record of sorts. He became the highest paid cricketer in the history of cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL), when the Kolkata Knight Riders shelled out $2.4 million for his services.

On Saturday, when player auctions for the 2012 edition of the IPL were held, another Indian - all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja - almost usurped Gambhir's lofty status; the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought his services for what was initially thought to be a $2 million fee (Rs. 9.8 crores).

Now, however, according to a report in The Times of India on Sunday, CSK may well have shelled out a far more astronomical sum of money... one that calls into question not only the sporting sense of the decision but also the necessity of paying (sometimes) unproven cricketers gargantuan amounts of money for a tournament that lasts just about for two months!

Basically, during the auctions, two teams - the Deccan Chargers and CSK - were competing for Jadeja's services. Apparently, since both team's initial bids were equal, they were invited to submit sealed bids for the player. CSK reportedly bid close to $6 million (Rs. 29.9 crores), in the tie-breaker.

The truly astonishing point about the bid is that the player, as noted above, will receive only a third of that amount... the rest - all $4 million (Rs. 19.9 crores) - will go to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), for reasons only they will know.

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