Christian shows he's worth the money

An astounding Rs 4.14 crore bid for little known Australian Daniel Christian was one of the surprises on the second day of the Indian Premier League players' auction in Bangalore, but his buyer Deccan Chargers justified the spending saying the all-rounder is worth the huge amount.

"We went for him because Christian is a fantastic all-rounder. He is worth the money. He is a good player. The reason behind spending such a huge amount was unpredictability of prices for bidding. Happy to have him," said Gayatri Reddy, owner of Deccan Chargers.

"Christian is a good fast bowler and a decent batsman. He is also a brilliant fielder," added Reddy.

In an otherwise quiet day when 85 players went unsold and only 35 players were auctioned, it was Christian who was bought for $900,000, 18 times more than his base price of $50,000.

It was beyond anyone's imagination that the 27-year-old from New South Wales would go for such a price. He has played three T20 internationals for Australia. Christian is primarily a fast bowler who can hit a long way in the lower order.

Meanwhile, IPL chairman Chirayu Amin on Sunday tried to clarify the air surrounding the participation of the English cricketers in the fourth edition of the T20 league by saying that their inclusion in the players' auction means they are available for the tournament.

"I had clarified it earlier and I am clarifying it today also that there are no issues, no problems with the NOC. There is no issue at all, otherwise they would not have been included in the auction," said Amin.

"There is no controversy. There is no question that English players won't play. The fact that the franchises have bought them means they have decided to play them," he said.

There were reports that English players would need a 'no objection certificate' (NOC) from the England and Wales Cricket Board to participate in the mega-event starting April 8 as the ECB did not want to overburden its players because the IPL starts just five days after the World Cup.

Amin also rejected allegations that some section of the media had prior information about the bidding process and the auction was not transparent.

"As an Indian we always speculate. The bidding process is totally transparent. There is no manipulation. You should ask those who are levelling charges," he said.

On the large number of unsold players, Amin said, "the decision lies with the franchises."