Sport - Cricket;Eighty-seven overseas players for IPL auction

Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) Twenty-seven Australian players and 21 Englishmen will be among 87 overseas players to go under the hammer in Goa Feb 6 for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting April 10.

The list also has 13 South Africans, 15 Sri Lankans and players from West Indies, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

England players Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are likely to be the topmost catch for the eight city-based franchise.

Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Shaun Udal, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann and Owais Shah are the other England players who have signed up after IPL and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reached an agreement for a three-week window for them.

The strong Australian contingent include vice-captain Michael Clarke, Bradd Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Bradd Hogg, Shaun Tait and Jason Krejza.

The IPL guidelines stipulate that each franchisee will have a maximum purse of US $ 2 million, less any amount spent on signing temporary replacements from last year to select the cricketers, an IPL statement said.

'The interest displayed by players from all around the world to participate in the second season of the league has been truly overwhelming,' said IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.

List:

Australia: Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Brad Hogg, Beau Casson, Mark Cameron, Peter Forrest, Lee Carseldine, Doug Bowler, Michael Dighton, Jason Krejza, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley, Shaun Tait, Ashley Noffke, Bryce McGain, George Bailey, Michael Hill, Travis Birt, Chris Swan, Michael Klinger, Ben Edmondson, Aiden Blizzard, Mark Cosgrove, Adam Voges, Shane Harwood

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Rajin Saleh, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. Tamim Iqbal Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Junaid Siddique, Ziaur Rahman, Mahumudullah Riyad, Nadif Chowdhury, Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Raqibul Hasan

England: Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Robert Key, James Foster, Tyron Henderson, Sajid Mahmood, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Shaun Udal, Darren Gough, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swan, Luke Wright, Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Ed Joyce, Dominic Cork

New Zealand: Mark Gillespie, Tim Southee, Jesse Ryder, Jeetan Patel, Kyle Mills, Chris Martin, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, James Franklin

Pakistan: Asim Kamal, Yasir Hameed, Danish Kaneria, Mohammed. Hafeez, Yasir Arafat

South Africa: Gulam Bodi, Rory Kleinveld, Charles Langeveldt, Ashwell Prince, Jean Paul Duminy, Martin Van Jaarsveld, Roelof Van der Merwe, Andre Nel, Neil McKenzie, Yusuf Abdullah