The former Pakistani captain hit the jackpot in a secret bidding process after he became the target of all six teams in the Twenty20 cricket tournament to be held next month.
"Shahid Afridi was bought for $700,000 dollars, the highest in the BPL auction, by our team Dhaka Gladiators," team spokesman Minhaz Khan told AFP.
Hard-hitting West Indies batsman Chris Gayle was sold to Barisal Burners for $551,100 and his comptriot Marlon Samuels to Duronto Rajshahi for $360,000, according to live telecast by private Channel 9 Television.
The BPL is the Bangladeshi answer to Indian Premier League (IPL), which revolutionised cricket when it burst on to the scene in 2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, Twenty20 matches and celebrity glamour.
West Indian Kieron Pollard was sold to Dhaka for $300,000 and Bangladeshi allrounder Nasir Hossain for $200,000 to Khulna. Ex-Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik and West Indies batsman Dwayne Bravo each landed $150,000.
Seventeen foreign players were put on auction with a base price of $100,000 including Sri Lankan greats Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, New Zealander Scott Styris and Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor.
Ex-Australian Stuart MacGill was one of 36 players auctioned with a base price of $50,000. The leggie was sold to Dhaka at the base price.
Indian company Game On bought the rights of the first six editions of BPL for around $44 million dollars last year. Six franchises were bought by Bangladeshi companies with a minimum price of one million dollars.
COMMENTS (15)
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@Yuri Kondratyuk:
Lol, why are you still so mad about the big heart remark? Afridi is a great player but he does loose his mind not checking whatever he's saying.....We still remember the ball-chewing episode of his and what explanation he would later come up with .Indian media showed a very negative attitude towards Pakistani Cricket Team,and Afridi just went crazy over it and uttered all that nonsense.
bOOm bOOm AFRIDI :)
I think most Pakistani players should play in Bangladesh League for the following reasons:
at the people-to-people level, pak and bengal care about each other. by supporting each other, we slowly start to put aside the dark periods of our history for a better future. by working with each other we continue to prove the reality that is the islamic civilization of south asia. Muslim countries should help each other.
India has used IPL to humiliate Pakistan and Pakistanis in a highly unprofessional and classless manner.
Bangladesh has proven itself to be a small country with a big heart. Pakistan should reciprocate.
Pakistan should arrange a tournament for Minnows... with 5 Pakistani A team and Regular Team with Countries like Scotland, Kenya, Canada, UAE, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. This will become a money minting event and can bring International cricket in country.
It wasn't a jack pot but his worth and he deserves it. The team that won him will make much more than what they spent may be within his first appearance with royalties, TV shows, memorabilia, ads and so on. Please give his worth a credit not guessing price.
@TightChuddi:
Sir, please define dead horse.
Must be pretty happy with large hearted Bangladeshis!!
Cricketers for Sale :) Buy one get one FREE !!!! I hate this auction.
Even Bangladesh has it own premier league now. When will Pakistan have its own? IPL is dead horse now
Our time will come as well, lets hope for the best brothers.
well, at least some good news from cricketing quarters!!!
Very misleading headline. Thought Afridi won himself the top prize in some Bangladeshi auction. Even if you use the term 'hitting the jackpot' to imply a great achievement in once's career, I find it misleading.
afridi we will proud of you -:)
Now its time for Pakistan.
I guess only we are the country left behind in the region. Money pouring in cricket in the regional markets huh!