Some say there should not be an auction in the first place while others defend "player power" even if it comes at a seemingly high price in these times of recession.
While the jury is out on the morality of bidding for cricket players in the Indian Premier League, the third season will see some fresh pair of legs - 14 in total and including four Indians - being infused with a bit of reshuffle.
The Australians have been excused since they were not available for the major duration of the tournament.
Big names from Pakistan, the world champions in the Twenty20 format, were available after much ado over getting clearances from their board and the government but they were completely ignored.
While Shahid Afridi is furious and taken it as an affront, the franchises may have thought it better to invest their resources as wisely as possible in this financially trying period on candidates who are a surety. Who knows when a political event changes the mindset of either government.
Besides the fan support matters and the franchises may not be sure of how welcome the Pakistan player would be on their emotional curve.
With very few slots available and in the current scenario, those who made it were:
Kieron Pollard: Mumbai Indians - $750,000-plus, unofficially $2.2m
Shane Bond: Kolkata Knight Rider - $750,000, unofficially $1.3m
Kemar Roach: Deccan Chargers - $720,000
Wayne Parnell: Delhi Daredevils - $610,000
Mohammad Kaif: Kings XI Punjab - $250,000
Eoin Morgan: Royal Challengers Bangalore - $220,000
Damien Martyn: Rajasthan Royal - $100,000
Justin Kemp: Chennai Super Kings - $100,000
Thissara Perera: Chennai Super Kings - $50,000
Yusuf Abdullah: Kings XI Punjab - $50,000
As is always the case, the perfect ratio of demand and supply is never accurate enough to reflect in the price each player got.
What do you think?
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
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- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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