Under the hammer for a fortune

The well-heeled in their high heels came looking to buy the best men — top international cricketers and promising youngsters from India who went under the hammer for the auctions.

That is IPL for you. The showbiz that has taken the cricket world by the storm. The auction of players, held behind closed doors, was an event that aroused a lot of curiosity across the country. In the IT city, streets were as deserted as they are during a one-day international match between India and Pakistan. People were glued to their TV screens waiting to find out how big a fortune their favourite cricketers would make.

The bidders came with their sacks or rather the finest leather bags, full of money, very early in the morning, hoping to net the best players.

The celebrities, probably in early to avoid the paparazzi and the press photographers, adorned in fineries. The media had to be content with what was dished out by a TV channel.

The excitement among bidders was at its fever pitch. But silence is respected at auctions. Even the most talkative preferred to maintain a stoic silence, lest their expressions were interpreted right by competition.

There was one thing lacking, though. The players being bought were not at the venue. The bidders were. The players must have been watching with bated breath the fate of their bank balances; will they bulge or shrink. Players in a different time zone had to stay awake to know their fate.

The media, relegated to another room, had to be content with the TV feeds of the exclusive telecaster. They were happy nonetheless, getting a chance to watch the auction on the big screen. There were mini press conferences of five minutes each held every hour or so. But the media were not complaining.