Sports:Mashrafe Bin Mortaza worth $ 600,000

Kolkata Knight Riders has recruited Bangladesh pacer Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for $ 600,000.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will take part in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) as the member of Kolkata Knight Riders.

At the closing round of the auction made for an intriguing duel between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders finally got success and then, Kolkata Knight Riders collected medium pacer Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for $ 600,000.

Mashrafe's starting price was $ 50,000 but later his price raise 1100 per cent.

Meanwhile, skipper of Bangladesh team remained unsold during the auction. Later, Mumbai Indians has recruited him for $ 75,000,

Shakib Al Hasan, the number one ODI all-rounder of the world according to the ICC ranking was not bid for.

It may be mentioned that Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff became the costliest cricketers in Indian Premier League history as the two players were each bought for $ 1.55 million at the IPL auction held on Friday.

Bangalore Royal Challengers successfully bought Pieterson at the auction while Chennai Super Kings, the runners-up team of the last years IPL, the official Twenty20 League of India, bid the highest for Andrew Flintoff.

Source:The New Nation

Sports: Sri Lanka's Tour to England in uncertainty

The tour clashes with the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which a host of top Sri Lankan players have contracts.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said it had heard nothing from the Sri Lankan authorities.Big names such as Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan are among 13 Sri Lankan players with IPL contracts.

Previously, the Sri Lankan sports minister said they should be excused Test duty to respect those deals. The players have these very beneficial deals with the IPL and don't want to give them up, he said. The senior players saw the window in April and May when they could go to India and earn lots.