SOME of the world's top women cricketers netted lucrative deals during Saturday's (9) Women's Premier League auction in India, with Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland snapped up for $240,000 by Delhi Capitals.
Sutherland, 22, hails from a prominent cricketing family and was the equal most-expensive player at auction alongside Indian all-rounder Kashvee Gautam, who will play for the Gujarat Giants.
Nita Ambani, wife of Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani and owner of the Mumbai Indians franchise, bid several times for Sutherland before losing out to Delhi ahead of the second WPL season next year.
A total of 165 cricketers participated in Saturday's auction, with South Africa's Shabnim Ismail and Australia's Phoebe Litchfield among the most highly sought foreign players.
The Indian Premier League has transformed the fortunes of cricket globally since its first season in 2008, and the five-team women's game has already proved a tidy earner for India's cricket board.
Franchise rights were auctioned off in January for $572.5 million, while media rights for the first five seasons of the new league were sold to Viacom18 for $116.7m.
The two deals made the WPL the second-most valuable women's league after the WNBA women's basketball in the United States.
All-format India captain Harmanpreet Kaur led Mumbai to victory in the inaugural season with a seven-wicket win over Delhi in March.
(AFP)
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)