The second auction of IPL players will be held in Goa on February 6. While most teams already have the core of the squad in place the players available this time can provide them just that extra edge.Some people described the 2008 IPL auction as the most thrilling moment in cricket after the 1983 World Cup win for India at Lord's. The second auction isn't expected to be quite as exciting but promises its own share of thrills.Former England captain Kevin Pietersen will be the big star at the auction. His base price of 1.35 million US dollars or about Rs 8 crore will make him the second most expensive player in the IPL after MS Dhoni.Sources tell CNN-IBN that Pietersen is likely to be snapped up by the Bangalore Royal Challengers who are desperate to overturn their disastrous campaign from last year.The other star attractions will be Andrew Flintoff and Michael Clarke. Both are expected to fetch in the range of 1 million US dollars each. According to sources Flintoff is headed for the Chennai Super Kings while the Rajasthan Royals and the Deccan Chargers will battle it out for Clarke.
South Africa's rising star Jean Paul Duminy is another player who has attracted a lot of interest from the franchises and he too could fetch a substantial price at the auction.While five Pakistan players have been put up for auction including leg spinner Danish Kaneria, there is still no certainty about them being available given the current political climate.A 114 players may be available. But only 10 per cent of these will make the final cut. Under IPL rules each franchise can only have 10 foreign players and most teams have eight or more already signed up. Also teams can only spend 2 million US dollars at this year's auction unlike the 5 million they were allowed last year.
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