King of Bollywood was keen not to lose IPL auction star Mashrafe Mortaza
King of Bollywood was keen not to lose IPL auction star Mashrafe Mortaza
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Drama was at its best when it came to buying Bangladesh cricketer Mashrafe Mortaza in the IPL auction yesterday. The all-rounder fetched a price beyond his wildest dreams when Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders outbid Preity Zinta's Kings XI Punjab and secured him for US $600,000.u00a0u00a0u00a0
Excerpts from an exclusive chat with the former Australia coach:
What was KKR's strategy for bidding so high on Mortaza?
We targeted Mortaza because he is a opening, strike bowler and he can hit the ball hard around the park. Umar Gul (Pakistan pacer) has been ruled out and we needed someone to fill his shoes, so Mortaza presents the on-field package to us. He presents the off-field package as well. He is from Bangladesh and Kolkata Knight Riders have a close link with Bangladesh. So there is a bigger picture (in his signing) too.
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You were continuously on the phone during the bidding with Shah Rukh. What was he saying as the bidding war grew hotter for Mortaza?
We had some discussions in Mumbai with Shah Rukh and Mortaza was one of our key strategies. Shah Rukh was very keen that we secure him and he was giving us every encouragement to stay in the bidding. He ensured that we stay in the bidding till we secured him.
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Don't you feel Mortaza is overpriced? Do you feel that Mohali tricked you into paying more?u00a0
It was Mortaza's good day. Frankly, we paid more. Both franchises were keen to have him and the price shot up in the competition.u00a0u00a0
What was your homework on Mortaza?
I had seen him when I was coach of the Australian cricket team. He always presented himself as someone who is dangerous with bat and ball. His advantage is that he understands this part of the world as he plays here all the time. And at the moment he may or may not be at his peak but he is playing consistently well. I had a chat with his coach Jamie Siddons and he gave him the thumbs up as well. So there were a number of factors which went into the decision.
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Did you try for Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff? What do you feel about their prices?u00a0u00a0u00a0
My personal opinion is that Pietersen and Flintoff were overpriced. It (getting them) was out of our budget but it was never our strategy to go for them. We were keen onu00a0 Mortaza.
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