Low-bid Ryder succeeds in nabbing IPL pay-off

WELLINGTON - New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder and his manager Aaron Klee have succeeded in securing a spot in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League thanks to offering Ryder at a lesser price to franchise owners.

Ryder and manager Aaron Klee decided that the former’s best opportunity lay at a lesser price.

Klee was always confident that his client would be picked up. New franchise the Pune Warriors eventually signed the 26-year-old for 150,000 dollars, stuff.co.nz reports.

“I guess Jesse’s in a different category from others. The conversations I had with Jesse beforehand, even when we were contemplating whether he would actually be in the auction or not, weren’t about money. Jesse just wanted to be there playing with the elite players; money wasn’t really a factor,” Klee said.

He added: “Financially he’s already earning more than he ever dreamt he would earn in his life, so money really isn’t a big one for him.”

So, with a reserve of US$100,000, Klee knew Ryder would represent great value for franchises who had blown their budget in the first session of bidding.

“We probably could have put it two [hundred thousand], maybe even three. But it’s worked out for us because he got picked up in the second cut. If it had been higher, he probably wouldn’t have been,” Klee said.

Fellow Black Cap Nathan McCullum, who fetched 100,000 dollars, will join Ryder at Pune. That brought the total of New Zealanders in this year’s IPL to seven, following the earlier signings of Taylor, Vettori, Brendon McCullum, James Franklin and Scott Styris.

Nathan McCullum said he had nervously followed the auction on the internet, not sure if anyone would bid for him.

“It was a little bit of a surprise but I’m pretty happy about it. It is going to be a good challenge and I’m looking forward to playing with some other international players and in the IPL.” (ANI)