NEWS
Follow Us12 years ago at the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, a 24-year-old Glenn Maxwell shocked the world and broke the internet by becoming the most expensive player of that particular edition after being signed by Mumbai Indians (MI) for a whopping $1,000,000.
Maxwell, by then, had already played 18 international matches for Australia and debuted in the IPL with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in IPL 2012, but only had a pair of fifties in international cricket to show for.
One of those fifties, however, a 35-ball 51* against the West Indies in Perth, came just two days before the IPL 2013 auction and Maxwell ended up striking jackpot with the timing of that knock, with MI going all-in for him at the auction table.
Yet it was less so because of that knock and more so because of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) that Maxwell ended up getting purchased for $1,000,000 at the IPL 2013 auction.
How? Maxwell recently revealed in his book ‘The Showman’ how Tom Moody, the then coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, encouraged his team to ‘keep putting the paddle up’ in order to increase the all-rounder’s price and eat up the purse of MI.
“Naturally, my mind went to how on earth this had happened [getting bought for $1,000,000] and later I found out that it’s a great little story,” Maxwell wrote in his book.
“Given their proximity and stature, plus the clout of the Ambani Empire, Mumbai are the biggest club going and there were always stories flying around about just how well they treated their players. Mukesh Ambani is one of the richest men in the world, and his son Akash had seen a bit of me playing and had watched that quick half-century two days before. They had salary cap space, and they tend to get what they want.
“Tom Moody, then coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, picked up on just how enthusiastic Mumbai were, and knew they had form when it came to bidding wars. So he encouraged his team to play along and keep putting their paddle up - and on and on it went.
“From Moods' perspective, every dollar Mumbai spent on me was money they wouldn't have later in the auction. It was shrewd work on Hyderabad's part. The big fella has said to me in the past that I owe him a beer for his part in that final price and he's not wrong.”
Maxwell was one of four Australian MI recruits in the IPL 2013 auction, with Ricky Ponting, Phil Hughes and Nathan Coulter-Nile being the other three. The big-hitting all-rounder played only three games, scoring 36 off 27 balls in total, but it turned out to be a successful season for Mumbai, who ended up winning their first-ever IPL title.
