Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League history on Sunday when he sold for a record $3.2 million, as teams splashed out on world-class cricketers for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

A total of 577 players are up for grabs at the two-day auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names.

Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad meanwhile had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million.

The 2023 record of 247.5 million rupees Kolkata paid to Australian Mitchell Starc was first breached by Punjab Kings, who the IPL said snapped up Shreyas Iyer for a "handsome" 267.5 million rupees ($3.17 million).

Iyer, 29, captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL crown this year, AFP reported.

New Punjab coach Ricky Ponting, who left Delhi Capitals after this season, said they will make Shreyas captain if he agrees.

"I have worked with him three or four years at Delhi and obviously he is a championship winning captain from last season," Ponting said.

"We have got someone there that can do the job if that's the way we decide to go, so I am delighted to have him back."

Shreyas' record rapidly tumbled.

The IPL reported Lucknow Super Giants paid a "gigantic" 270 million rupees for 27-year-old star keeper Pant.

"Rishabh's history in the IPL and in the sport of cricket is unparallelled in terms of his skill, what he brings to the table," Lucknow owner Shashwat Goenka, said of the record buy.

"I think he came at what we had anticipated for him. We are very excited to have him as part of the squad."

Pant made an impressive return to competitive cricket in this year's IPL after a serious car crash in December 2022, AFP reported.

He came in as captain of Delhi Capitals but he and the team parted ways.

Later on day one Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer hit the jackpot when he went to Kolkata for a whopping $2.81 million after a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Venkatesh, a left-hand batter and right-arm medium pace bowler who was released by Kolkata only to be bought back, became the third-highest buy of the day.

Sizzling start

The auction started on a sizzling note when Indian quick Arshdeep Singh began a bidding war, which ended with Punjab getting the left-arm pace bowler for $2.13 million.

This year, Australian left-arm quick Starc was not retained by Kolkata -- and went to Delhi for $1.39 million.

Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood went for $1.48 million to Bengaluru, while England fast bowler Jofra Archer cost the same amount for the Rajasthan Royals.

New Zealand quick Trent Boult returned to five-time winners Mumbai Indians for $1.48 million.

Gujarat Titans paid $1.87 million for England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, while India pace bowler Mohammed Shami went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for $1.18 million.

Australian David Warner and England's Jonny Bairstow went unsold, but could be brought back later in the auction.

The IPL has generated billions in revenue since its inception in 2008, turning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) into one of the richest governing bodies in sport, AFP reported.

In June 2022 it sold the broadcast rights for five IPL seasons to global media giants for $6.2 billion.

The BCCI has sought to broaden the tournament's profile by staging the auction abroad.

Last year it was held in Dubai, a regular host for international cricket tournaments.

Like Saudi Arabia, it has a large base of prospective fans among its migrant worker population.

Putting the auction on in Jeddah is seen as a win-win for a tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image.

The IPL is a huge earner for Indian cricket and the tournament makes more than $11 billion for the economy each year.

The pioneering IPL helped make Twenty20 cricket hugely popular, spawning copycat events worldwide.

Dates for next year's IPL have not been released but seasons usually run from March to May.

Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million

Afghanistan Under-19 cricket team defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) U19 by eight wickets in the sixth match of the tri-nation series in Dubai on Sunday.

Asked to field first by UAE U19 who won the toss, Afghans bowled out the hosts for 88 runs in the 36.3 overs.

Afghanistan U19 chased down the target in the 21.2 overs.

Naseer Khan Maroofkhil claimed three wickets. Abdul Aziz Khatir Stanikzai and Rohaullah Arab picked up three wickets each.

Afghanistan U19 will play final against Pakistan U19 on Tuesday.

South African player Faf du Plessis showcased his batting brilliance by blasting a blistering 75 for Morrisville Samp Army against New York Strikers in the fifth game of the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday.

The 40-year-old reached his fifty in just 22 balls. He remained unbeaten on 75 off 32 balls, hitting five boundaries and six sixes.

Samp Army posted 135-1 in 10 overs, 41 of it coming from Adndries Gous’s bat, and they won the match by 36 runs.

It was one of the four matches played on Friday.

In the other matches, Northern Warriors defeated Delhi Bulls by 7 wickets, with Jonson Charles hitting a fifty.

Team Abu Dhabi thrashed UP Nawabs by 8 wickets after bowling them out for just 51. Mark Adair claimed four wickets. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Zeeshan Naseer picked up two wickets each.

In the last match of the day, Deccan Gladiators beat Ajman Bolts by 20 runs. Gladiators set a target of 138 runs, with Jos Buttler making 60 runs off 22 balls.

In reply, Ajman Bolts fell short on 117 despite captain Mohammad Nabi blasting 43 off 13 balls.