Cricket: Bond set to cash in at IPL auction

Two teams could vie for Shane Bond's signature. Photo / NZ Herald

The Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders shape as the most likely franchises to sign Shane Bond when the Indian Premier League's (IPL) third season auction gets under way late on Tuesday.

The Daredevils are looking for a pace bowler to complement Indian left-armer Ashish Nehra after Australian great Glenn McGrath had his US$350,000 ($472,000) contract bought out.

The Knight Riders also consider Bond a perfect fit as a new ball partner for right-armer Ishant Sharma.

The auction could be custom-made for Bond to reap considerable financial rewards, albeit not in the Andrew Flintoff/Kevin Pietersen realm of US$1.55 million ($2.09 million) per season.

Spending will be down for this auction because each team now has a salary cap of US$750,000 ($1 million). However, it's understood that won't stop a number of owners splashing out on a single player to bolster the ranks within that salary cap.

Around 12 players are expected to be added from the 51 on the auction list with no team allowed more than 10 non-Indian recruits in their squad. Bond faces fast bowling competition from the likes of Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Wayne Parnell, Kemar Roach and Mohammad Aamer.

They are not yet in the 34-year-old's class as an international bowler but it will depend on his reserve price as to how certain he is of selection.

Ironically, Bond spent his curtailed Indian Cricket League career with the Delhi Giants, so is familiar with that region. He says he's also comfortable with the subcontinental climate these days.

"You know it's going to be hot but most games are played at night so it's nowhere near as taxing on the body.

"The travel schedules are hectic and there's always stuff to do but it's only for a short period of time so it'll be fun.

"There's great players in all the teams so you could end up going to the Rajasthan Royals and playing with Warney but there's plenty of Kiwis floating around, so to be in a team with one of them would be fine too. I'm happy to go anywhere.

"I'm sure it'll be a more relaxed environment than international cricket. Twenty20 gives you more down-time to get to know your team-mates.

"Just playing the shorter version will be ideal before the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean," says Bond, who will earn most of any figure he commands by being available for almost all of the IPL, thanks to his retirement from test cricket.

Bond's recovery from his abdominal tear against Pakistan in November has seen him return to action in the nets. He bowled seven overs off his full run-up on Wednesday and did a few sprints afterwards.

He's looking to play club cricket next weekend but is targeting the remainder of the 50-over competition rather than any Twenty20 games for a return at provincial level.

Bond, like Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor, is also understood to be in demand for the English county limited overs competition.

Depending on whether the Black Caps' tour goes ahead in Zimbabwe in June, he could play further lucrative cricket before the tour to Sri Lanka in July.

Bond shapes as likely the only New Zealand player to be snapped up at auction but Lou Vincent may have given himself a "bargain bin" chance of selection with his century to help Auckland beat Wellington in their HRV Cup match last week.

His 105 came from 60 balls which may have had IPL franchise accountants reaching for their calculators and balance sheets.

Vincent, along with Bond, Nathan McCullum and Grant Elliott are the New Zealanders on sale. The former ICL batsman says one sale last summer is giving him slim hope.

"Just look at [South Africa's] JP Duminy last year against Australia where he started scoring plenty of runs and then went on to be sold at auction for US$950,000 ($1.28 million).

"It's nice to be scoring runs again but, if anything, I'll be picked on reputation."