The New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been purchased for $814,000 in cricket's Indian Premier League player auction, the fifth-highest price in this year's sale.
The New Zealand bowler Trent Boult appeals successfully for a LBW decision. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Paceman Boult was picked up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the hefty fee after they engaged in a bidding war with several other franchises.
Boult's price dwarfs the $129,000 paid by the same team for Kane Williamson, despite the New Zealand all-rounder being listed as a marquee player.
India's Yuvraj Singh was the biggest headline maker though, after the batsman was bought for an IPL record $3.4 million by the Delhi Daredevils.
The other New Zealanders purchased in the auction were Jimmy Neesham, who was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for $107,000 thousand dollars, fast bowler Adam Milne, who was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for $150,000 thousand dollars and seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, who sold to the Mumbai Indians for $64,000.
The Black Caps Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi, Hamish Rutherford, Anton Devcich, Doug Bracewell and Grant Elliott were all overlooked and listed as unsold.
Martin Guptill and Jesse Ryder didn't appear on the auction list.
Brendon McCullum (Chennai), Corey Anderson (Mumbai), Matt Henry (Chennai) and Tim Southee (Rajasthan) were retained by the IPL teams they played for last year and were not entered in the auction.
Anderson made headlines in 2014 when he was picked up for $866,000 by Mumbai.
The IPL opens on April 9 and finishes on May 25, meaning Boult will have to leave the tournament early to join the Black Caps in England for their two-test series starting at Lord's on May 21.