IPL Auction: The 'six-crore club'

The auction ahead of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League witnessed a slew of big ticket acquisitions.

While some players fetched a high price on expected lines, a few surprised with their valuation.

 A look at the biggest purchases at the auction.

 Yuvraj Singh drew the biggest bid in the high-profile Indian Premier League players' auction, with Royal Challengers Bangalore clinching his services for a whopping Rs 14 crore!

Having captained Kings XI Punjab and the now defunct Pune Warriors previously, Yuvi has close to 1,500 runs and 29 wickets to his credit, underlining his success in the tournament.

- Hot buys left unsold

Not to forget the fact that he almost single-handedly won Team India the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-overs World Cup in 2011.

Yuvraj has been named in the Indian squad for the World T20 Championship in Bangladesh.

With his acquisition, Bangalore now boast of a really formidable batting line-up, with Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers already retained. 

Dinesh Karthik emerged a surprise big draw, going for Rs 12.5 crore to Delhi Daredevils.

His 500-plus runs and 14 dismissals behind the stumps played a huge role in Mumbai Indians' title triumph last year.

Overall, he has more than 1,700 runs, an enviable strike rate of 124, and is an asset behind the stumps.

A prized catch this!

Kevin Pietersen being bought back by the Delhi Daredevils didn't come across as a surprise. 

What was surprising is the fact that he wasn't retained in the first place. 

Pietersen, whose England career came to an end abrupt end after a disastrous Ashes campaign, fetched a huge Rs 9 crore purse.

Delhi had paid an undisclosed sum to acquire him ahead of IPL 5 in 2012 and the player responded by scoring 305 runs in the eight games he featured in, including a magnificent 64-ball 103, easily one of the best hundreds in the IPL.

Expect more fireworks this time as he will be available for the full season.

Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson was also a prized acquisition, Kings XI Punjab paying Rs 6.5 crore for his services. 

The 32-year-old Australian triggered an intense bidding war between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab right from the start, and in no time his price rose to 6.5 crore before the former backed out. 

With Mumbai Indians refusing to exercise their right to match, Punjab made merry.

If his performance in the Ashes (27 wickets), as also his efforts in Mumbai Indians' title-winning campaign last season (24 wickets), are anything to go by, Johnson is a prized catch.

Glenn Maxwell was good last season. 

However, he never quite justified the US $1 million that Mumbai Indians dished out to acquire his services. 

That didn't matter, though. 

A few good performances for Australia, and a slice of luck ensured he commanded a hefty price yet again. 

It's Kings XI Punjab again!

After paying Rs 6.5 crore for Johnson, they didn't hesitate shelling out another Rs. 6 crore for the all-rounder.