Waiting to know my IPL fate was nerve-wracking: Eoin Morgan
"I am very happy," said the Irishman who plays for Middlesex.
"I was at home watching it on the internet. I hadn't planned to watch it and my housemate said he would watch for me but I couldn't sleep this morning and I came in about 15 minutes before my pool," Morgan was quoted as saying in the British media Wednesday.
Morgan, who will join his England teammate Kevin Pietersen in the Bangalore side, was, however, shocked to see someone like Shaid Afridi not finding takers.
"It was nerve-wracking. It was weird, it was like playing Championship manager, watching the text come up," the 23-year-old said of the online coverage of the auction.
"The big shock for me was Shahid Afridi. After seeing him not getting a gig I thought I would struggle, but once it came up that Bangalore had bid for me I knew I was sorted."
When the Pakistanis and most of the Australians were ignored by the eight franchisees,
expressing doubts over the players' availability for full six weeks of the Twenty20 razzmatazz, Morgan was quoted in the British media as saying that he is "pretty sure" of playing the entire tournament.
The auction was a low-key affair as there was a cap of $750,000 with the teams looking for only one or two players to fill the vacancies.
The Dubliner, the only England player to be bought at the auction, went for $220,000 when many big names went unsold, including his successful teammate on the tour to South Africa, off-spinner Graeme Swann, Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin and some exciting Pakistani players who were part of their Twenty20 World Champions side.
Morgan, who has developed an excitingly innovative batting style, thanks to playing hurling during his childhood, can join the team well in time when the tournament begins March 12 as the third and final one-day international between England and Bangladesh is ending a week before that.
The left-hander has played in India three times, twice with his county and once with the England academy, but he still feels he is unfamiliar with most of his new team-mates. "I don't know many of their Indian players but I have seen them play as I watched the previous IPLs. They have a very strong side, with the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jesse Ryder and Jacques Kallis."
The only other England-based player to be purchased was Hampshire's Michael Lumb, but his $50,000 deal with the Rajasthan Royals was finalised outside the auction room, as he has never played international cricket.
IPL sum stuns Wayne Parnell
Johannesburg: The staggering USD 610,000 that Delhi Daredevils shelled out to secure the service of Wayne Parnell has left the exciting South African pacer stunned.
"I never expected this - it's a huge sum of money!" was the reaction of the 20-year-old pacer.
Parnell told the Afrikaans daily 'Beeld' that he knew the Daredevils were interested in him after his national teammate and Daredevils player AB de Villiers had told him how much David Saker, bowling coach of the IPL side, was impressed with the left-arm pacer.
Meanwhile, his agent revealed that Parnell had in fact signed a contract with the Mumbai Indians but the IPL governing council decided that since he was an international player, he would be put through the auction, which rendered the contract null and void.
Parnell became the third highest paid South African cricketer in IPL, after JP Duminy and Jacques Kallis.
Warne helped me join IPL, says Martyn
Melbourne: Retired batsman Damien Martyn, one of the two Australian players sold at yesterday's IPL auction, said it was his ex-teammate and Rajasthan Royal's captain Shane Warne who guided him in sending his entry for the auction.
The 38-year-old Martyn, who quit international cricket in 2006, was yesterday bought by the Rajasthan outfit for USD 100,000 (45.5 lakhs), giving a major boost to his seemingly finished cricket career.
Another Australian, who found a place in the cash-awash tournament was one-day specialist Adam Voges, who was also picked by the Rajasthan team for USD 50,000.
Martyn said that he met Warne recently in Australia and inquired about his prospects in the IPL.
"We had a chat about the pros and cons and he put me on to certain people including (IPL commissioner) Lalit Modi.
"I said I had to get my paperwork in order and Warnie said he might be interested, depending on which other players were available," Martyn told The Australian.
That paperwork included signing out of the rebel Indian Cricket League, where Martyn had led the Ahmedabad Rockets.
The right-hand batsman had attended Australia's national cricket academy with Warne 20 years ago and they have been firm friends ever since.
Other Australian players like Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger and Phil Hughes went unsold in the auction due to uncertainty over their availability for the whole tournament, which clashes with their tour of New Zealand in March-April.