Pietersen and Flintoff - got highest Bid in IPL Season 2

Former England cricket captains Pieterson and Flintoff won record contracts of $1.55 million each in the second round of the IPL Twenty20 auction held in Goa today.

Pietersen will play for Bangalore Royal Challengers and Flintoff for the Chennai Super Kings. In the first round, Chennai bid the highest, $1.5 million, for MS Dhoni, the Indian captain.

“I was prepared to pay up to $2 million for Pieterson,” Vijay Mallya, owner of the Bangalore team, said in Goa today. “It was a conscious decision and we wanted him.”

Teams will be allowed 10 overseas players this season, up from eight in the league’s first edition. The clubs could spend as much as $2 million and choose 17 from among the 43 available players. Australia’s Michael Clarke opted out, citing a busy schedule.

“With the inclusion of these new players, we are better equipped to be a match-winner,” N. Srinivasan, managing director of India Cements Ltd. and owner of the Chennai team. “Last year, we were plain unlucky.”