Shakib returns to KKR for Rs 3.2 crore

Bangladesh’s globe-trotting all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at a cost of staggering Rs 3.2 crore after a fierce bidding duel with Punjab Kings during the mini-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the upcoming edition of the cash-rich T20 tournament in Chennai yesterday.

Tigers’ premier all-rounder’s name came up in the second set of the auction after which KKR made the opening bid for Shakib, who was enlisted at the highest price band of INRs 2 crore.

Punjab Kings, who recently changed their name from Kings XI Punjab, therefore joined in on the race of bidding with KKR, raising his price to 2.2 crore. KKR pushed the bid to 2.4 crore almost immediately after that and Punjab Kings then raised his price further to 2.6 crore following an intense discussion at the table.

Finally Punjab Kings were outbid by KKR, who brought Shakib back to its fortress for 3.2 crore after a few sets of bids between the two sides. The ace all-rounder was one of the 11 players to be listed at the highest price band in the auction of the IPL-2021.

The 33-year-old left-hander missed out on playing in the previous edition of the most prominent franchisee T20 tournament due to serving a year-long ban slapped by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for not reporting corrupt approaches of the bookie Deepak Agarwall.

Shakib played in eight editions of IPL so far, six of which for Kolkata Knight Riders and twice for Sunrisers Hyderabad. When he was part of KKR’s 2014 season, the IPL franchise owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Shakib won the credible IPL title under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir.

Shakib played 63 IPL matches till date and chalked up a total of 746 runs at an average of 21.31 with the strike rate of 126.66 and scalped 59 wickets at an economy of 7.46 in his IPL career. Shakib had a contract with Sunrisers till 2020 but the franchise let him go after his ban.

A total of 292 players went under the hammer in the mini-auction with a whopping 1114 players having registered for the event. However, there are only 61 slots available with all the eight franchises combined and a highest number of 22 foreign players can get teams.

Apart from Shakib, cutter master Mustafizur Rahman was also picked by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL players’ auction for his base price bracket of INRs 1 crore, as no other franchise showed any interest for him. Mustafiz earlier played for Sunrisers Hyderabad under the leadership of Australian stroke-maker David Warner and later Mumbai Indians. But he won the IPL title with the Hyderabad franchise.

Mustafiz wasn’t picked to play in the last season but was scouted by some franchises as a replacement player. Even he couldn’t go there as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) didn’t give him the no-objection certificate (NOC).

Three other Bangladeshi players including Mahmudullah Riyad, all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin and Mushfiqur Rahim, who was the last one to have him registered for the auction, were also listed themselves in the auction but remained unsold.