Over 580 players come under the hammer during APL season 2 auction in Visakhapatnam

APL Season 2 auction held in Visakhapatnam saw 580 players, 120 of whom were drafted into 6 teams. Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari was sold for highest price of ₹6.60 lakh.

Over 580 players have come under the hammer during the auction of Andhra Premier League (APL) season 2 organised by the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), which was held here on Tuesday. Of the total, around 120 players were eventually drafted into the six competing teams – Coastal Riders, Bezawada Tigers, KVR Uttarandhra Lions, Marlin Godavari Titans, Rayalaseema Kings and Vizag Warriors.

Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari was sold for highest price among the players. Rayalaseema Kings picked the Test cricketer for ₹6.60 lakh. Godavari Titans had retained M Dheeraj Kumar for ₹5.20 lakh using their Right to Match (RTM) card. Ashwin Hebbar was retained by Vizag Warriors for a price of ₹5.10 lakh. Meanwhile Yarra Prithvi Raj, who once played for Kolkatta Knight Riders in Indian Premier League was picked up for ₹5 lakh by Uttarandhra Lions.

All the six teams have retained several players by July 31. Indian cricketer K Srikar Bharat was retained by Uttarandhra Lions for the second season, while Ricky Bui was retained by Bezawada Tigers. A few players were also traded among the teams.

Noted auctioneer Charu Sharma took up the job of organising the auction consecutively for the second season. Earlier, the Acting Chairman of the APL Governing Council Munish Sehgall opened the stage for bidding process. Following the opening remarks, Secretary of the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) Gopinath Reddy, extended his wishes to all the participating teams, expressing all support for the upcoming season.

A total of ₹1.8 crore was spent collectively by the franchises to acquire players during the auction.

APL Season 2 is scheduled to commence on August 16. The matches will be telecast live on “Star Sports First”. The organisers said that the main aim of organising such leagues is to provide platform for budding cricketers from the region to showcase their talent.