By Alex Gonzalez

The DLF Indian Premier League held its player auction yesterday at Goa as it continues its offseason.  The two men who will have the distinction of being called the highest paid player in the IPL are all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and batsman Kevin Pietersen from the Chennai Super Kings and the Bangalore Royal Challengers.  Each of them will earn about $1.55 million in U.S. Dollars. 

Flintoff's payday is remarkable considering he had been plagued by ankle injuries up until the summer of 2008.  The 6'4'' 31 year old was named captain of the English National Cricket team as he became a big star for Lancashire and was vice-captain for the English team in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.  He still holds the record for the most sixes scored in England with 68.

Kevin Pietersen, 28, joins a Bangalore Royal Challengers squad that finished with a dismal 4-10 record last season and is looking to experience some success of their own.  He tops the pay list of the team, even earning more than the captain and icon player of the organization Rahul Dravid.  While his batting style is right-handed, he is also known to surprisingly change his batting stance to throw off the opposition. 

While he just missed out on cracking the million dollar mark, Jean Paul Duminy came awfully close by landing a $950,000 deal with the Mumbai Indians.  The 24 year old South African helped his home country win their first Test series ever. Bangladeshi pace bowler Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was arguably the surprise of the entire auction as he went to the Kolkata Knight Riders for a bid of $600,000.  The team, owned by major Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, was viewed as overpaying for Mortaza's services and using him as a way to get the Bangladeshi fans behind the Knight Riders. 

While immensely talented, Mortaza, 25, has had his fair share of injuries.  He said, commenting on his injury history, "Left knee, three operations; right knee, one operation; back, stress fracture-it's better now but still gives some trouble-some shoulder problems; ankles, damaged ligaments twice."

Mr. Lalit Modi, the chairman and DLF Indian Premier League Commissioner was happy with the turnout and the results as $7.65 million was spent on 17 players.  He said, "This was a very strategic auction with each franchise knowing exactly what they wanted in terms of international talent to strengthen their playing squads. I look forward to the prodigious talents of Pietersen and Flintoff making their debuts in Season II for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai. I am certain now more than ever that fans across Indian and indeed the world are in for an exciting second season."

The second season will indeed be an exciting one as every team tries to go after what the Rajasthan Royals currently have: an IPL Championship.  The Royals, who are partly owned by actress Shilpa Shetty, signed two players in the auction.  South African all-rounder Tyron Henderson and Australian bowler Shaun Tait signed for a combined $975,000.  Shetty and Priety Zinta were present at the auction.  With this auction being a success, the hope is that this translates into on the field performance as these players with new six and seven figure deals make this fledgling league look smart for dishing out salaries most organizations are hesitant to pay, let alone in the second year of the league's existence.  Tell us your thoughts on how this league is shaping up and we'll keep you posted as there's nine weeks left until the second season begins.