As many as 48 Karnataka players went under the hammer as the eight franchisees of the September 9-23 event to be staged here and in Mysore, participated in the bidding process.
Karnataka State Cricket Association had kept an upper limit of Rs seven lakh for six chosen players by each franchisee.
Stuart Binny was picked by Gulbarga team (Bijapur Bulls) for Rs 3.2 lakh, B Akhil was taken on board by Bangalore Rural for Rs three lakh, while veteran Sunil Joshi pocketed Rs 2.05 lakh thanks to Hubli-Dharwad team (Shamanur Davangere Diamonds).
Former India cricketer David Johnson went for a mere Rs 35,000 and would now play for Belgaum team (Belagavi Panthers).
KPL has lost some of its sheen after the Board of Control for Cricket in India denied participation of out of state players in KPL, making it only a state affair.
KPL promoters were hoping to fill three slots in each team with outstation players and in fact, were looking to rope in some big names of Indian cricket, at least for a couple of matches, to draw in the crowds.
