Over 9 crore for Uthappa! He's worth it, says Pune

Bangalore, Jan 8 (PTI) A whopping Rs 9.66 crore bid for
Robin Uthappa was one of the surprises of today's Indian
Premier League players'(IPL), the domestic professional
Twenty20 cricket competition auction, but his buyer Pune
Sahara Warriors justified the spending saying the
stumper-batsman is worth the huge amount.

"Uthappa is a great Twenty20 player and he can also keep
wickets. We also thought of his utility as a batsman and that
is why we bid that money on him," Pune team CEO Sushanto Roy
told reporters.
Uthappa, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore last
season, came for USD 2.1 million (Rs 9.66 crore) in today's
auction.
In fact, Uthappa came at a higher price for Pune than
even the swashbuckling but out-of-form Yuvraj Singh (Rs 8.16
crore) and South African captain Graeme Smith (Rs 2.30 crore).
Meanwhile, IPL chairman Chirayu Amin refused to comment
on the court battles that the BCCI is currently fighting with
Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.
Both the franchises were ousted from the IPL for alleged
violation of ownership norms but came back after getting stay
orders against the BCCI in court.
"We are not discussing any court cases today. The game
will go on and cricket will be delivered to the fans," Amin
said.
Rajasthan, which has just USD 3.9 million to spend due to
the pending court case with the BCCI, was expectedly unhappy
with the way things have shaped up for them,.
"It's like going to an auction with your hands tied
behind your back. It is really frustrating," said Rajasthan
co-owner Shilpa Shetty.
"Royals have gone through a lot of upheaval and the price
has come down due to legal constraints," she added.
Other major surprise of the auction was Sourav Ganguly
going unsold in the first round.
The former India captain was the icon player for the
Kolkata Knight Riders but did not fetch any bid from the team.
"I always said auction dynamics are going to dictate. We
came with an open mind," said KKR CEO Venky Mysore when asked
about snub Ganguly got.
Asked if KKR would bid for him later, Mysore said, "it
will depend on the circumstances."
Quizzed on the surprising snub to Ganguly, Amin said it
was upto the franchises to take a call on the players.
"It's the reality of the game. It's a competitive format
and it's the choice of the team owners. We cannot dictate whom
to take or not to take. You feel bad about this sort of a
situation but this is the reality of life," he said.
On whether the spending cap of USD nine million was too
low, Amin said, "It's a reality we have discussed and
deliberated quite widely, the amount of money available to
franchises." PTI RS