Watson, Yousuf head list for second IPL auction

By N.Ananthanarayanan

NEW DELHI, March 10 (Reuters) - Australia's Shane Watson and Pakistani batsmen Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul Haq will be among 25 internationals who will figure in a second players' auction of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday.

Eight franchises splashed out millions of dollars in frenzied auction last month to snap up many household names in the game for the officially sanctioned 44-day Twenty20 league, which will start on April 18.

Indian limited-overs captain Mahendra Dhoni drew the highest bid of $1.5 million from Chennai in the first auction, while Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was snapped up for $1.35m by Hyderabad.

During Tuesday's closed door auction, teams will be allowed to use their unspent budget to buy new players and finalise squads before a 30-day deadline.

The list, all contracted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), contains six Australians, seven New Zealanders, six Pakistanis, three from Bangladesh, two South Africans and one Sri Lankan.

The bids would commence at a base price of $50,000, an IPL release said.

REBEL-LEAGUE OBJECTIONS

All-rounder Watson has endured an injury-prone career while Hogg retired from international cricket after last week's one-day tri-series final defeat at home against India.