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IPL 7 auction: Day 1 – The haves and the have-nots…
MUMBAI: It was a long and tiring first day of auctions of players for the Indian Premiere League (IPL) season 7. There was a lot of action prior to the lunch break but mostly fizzled out after it resumed for the afternoon session.
Two of the highest bids for the day were made by Delhi Daredevils as they had the deepest pocket – the entire Rs 60 crore – having decided not to retain any of their players from the previous edition.
Delhi Daredevils were the most aggressive making the day’s both the big strategic acquisitions.
Firstly Delhi Daredevils waited for the hammer to come down on Kevin Pietersen and then reclaimed him from Chennai Super Kings at a high price of Rs 9 crore. This was the first ‘Joker Card’ that was used at the auction.
The swords were drawn when Yuvraj’s name came under the hammer, after some frantic bidding and almost being sold in a state of chaos, the final fight was between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Banglore. Vijay Mallya had the final say with the highest bid of Rs 14 crore on day one and bag the Punjab boy to play alongside Virat Kohli.
The other overseas player who was sold for a high price was Mitchel Johnson for Rs 6.5 crore to King’s XI Punjab, and Mumbai Indians declined to use its right to match card for the Aussie fast bowler.
The biggest surprise of the day was Delhi Daredevil’s big bet on Dinesh Karthik at a whopping Rs 12.5 crore. The move would have certainly been made on the back of his stupendous showing in the 2013 season. Here again the Mumbai camp declined to use its right to match card.
On day one, a lot of players who went under the hammer saw themselves moving to new teams. A lot of players still went unsold because of either dearth of funds or in anticipation of bagging bigger players on day two. Any which ways, the players who remained unsold today will again go under the hammer tomorrow.
Teams at the end of Day 1 of Pepsi IPL Player auctions:
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Samuel Badree, Ben Hilfenhaus, Matt Henry.
Budget left: Rs2.9 crore. Squad Strength: 13. Overseas Players: 7.
Delhi Daredevils: M Vijay, Kevin Pietersen, Dinesh Karthik, JP Duminy, Manoj Tiwary, Quinton de Kock, Mohammad Shami, Rahul Sharma, Saurabh Tiwary, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jaydev Unadkat, James Neesham.
Budget left: Rs8.6 crore. Squad Strength: 13. Overseas Players: 5.
Kings XI Punjab: David Miller, Manan Vohra, Virender Sehwag, Mitchell Johnson, George Bailey, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shaun Marsh, Wriddhaman Saha, Thisara Perera, Glenn Maxwell, L Balaji, Parvinder Awan.
Budget left: Rs14.2 crore. Squad Strength: 12. Overseas Players: 6.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla.
Budget left: Rs9 crore. Squad Strength: 10. Overseas Players: 4.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Michael Hussey, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Corey Anderson, Josh Hazlewood.
Budget left: Rs5.15 crore. Squad Strength: 10. Overseas Players: 5.
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Brad Hodge, Steve Smith, Abhishek Nayar, Ben Cutting, Kane Richardson, Tim Southee.
Budget left: Rs12.1 crore. Squad Strength: 11. Overseas Players: 7.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel, Albie Morkel, Mitchell Starc, Ashok Dinda, Ravi Rampaul, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nic Maddinson, Varun Aaron.
Budget left: Rs1.8 crore. Squad Strength: 12. Overseas Players: 7.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Dale Steyn, David Warner, Darren Sammy, Amit Mishra, Aaron Finch, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Brendan Taylor, Moises Henriques, Venugopal Rao, Jason Holder.
Budget left: Rs8.4 crore. Squad Strength: 13. Overseas Players: 7.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
