Agencies/Bangalore

England’s Kevin Pietersen got the highest bid for an international cricketer, while Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh became the most expensive player at the player’s auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Bangalore yesterday.
Yuvraj was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore team for a whopping $2.3 million. Dinesh Karthik attracted the second-highest bid on the first morning of the auction, with Delhi Daredevils shelling out $2.08 million for the wicket-keeper batsman.
Pietersen hard-hitting ability fetched him the highest bid among foreign players. Pietersen, available for the entire duration of the cash-rich IPL after being shunned by England, was picked up by Delhi Daredevils, the franchise he played for last year, for $1.5 million after an intense bidding war.
The Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab franchises bid heavily for the 33-year-old, whose base price was $321,200, but Delhi bagged his services after using their right to match the highest bid. “Morning - so happy to be back with the Delhi family! Lovely start to the day,” Pietersen, the former England captain, said on his Twitter account. In-form Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was picked up by King’s XI for $1.8 million.
Kings XI Punjab was the smartest buyer on the day, as they also bagged the services of  Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for $1 million.
Also winning a lucrative contract was 23-year old Kiwi Corey Anderson who recently set a ODI World record of 36-ball century as Mumbai Indians bagged him for $750,000 and also former Aussie batsman Mike Hussey for $833,000.
Among the big losers were the Pathan brothers, Irfan and Yusuf, and Saurabh Tiwary all of whom commanded far less price. Yusuf, bought by Knight Riders in 2011 for $2.1 million, had to settle for $540,000 with the same team.
Irfan whom the now-defunct Delhi Daredevils had bought for $1.9 million in 2011, will now play for Sunrisers Hyderabad who bid $400,000.
Tiwary was bought for $1.6 million by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011, but this time around, he managed only a contract $116,000.  
Sri Lanka’s Mahila Jayewardene and Australia’s Brett Lee were among those who did not fetch a bid. Each of the eight franchises can spending up to $9.6 million. Players are being bought in Indian rupees instead of US dollars for the first time.
After an exciting first day of bidding, all the eight franchises will now bid for uncapped Indian players or if required unsold players of day one to shape their team finally when the players’ auction for the resumes today.