Birthday Special: 34 best quotes on MS Dhoni

India’s limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the top draw in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 draft here on Tuesday and was picked up by the Sanjeev Goenka-owned Pune franchise at the stipulated price of Rs.12.5 crore.

Left-hand batsman Suresh Raina was picked up by the Rajkot franchise owned by Intex Mobiles. The Rajkot team also successfully bid for ‘home’ all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (Rs.9.5 crore), New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum (Rs.7.5 crore) and Australian all-rounder James Faulkner (Rs.5.5 crore).

The ninth season of the IPL will begin on April 9, 2016.

“Excited to play for the beautiful vibrant city – Rajkot in @IPL. Looking forward to have new teammates and support from the people of Gujarat,” Raina tweeted on Tuesday after the draft.

Pune opted to take right-hand batsman Ajinkya Rahane as their second choice player and his India teammate off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as the third preference.

The Pune and Rajkot franchises were included in IPL for a period of two years following the two-year suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after being found guilty of breaching IPL regulations.

Teams Pune’s picks: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Steve Smith, Faf du Plessis.

Team Rajkot’s picks: Suresh Raina, R Jadeja, Brendon McCullum, James Faulkner, Dwayne Bravo.

[Source:- Sify News]

By Adam