IPL paying players what they are worth: Rhodes

The huge sums being shelled out by the Indian Premier League franchises for the world's top players have stunned the cricket world, but South Africa's Jonty Rhodes believes they are worth every penny.

The Chennai team splashed out $1.5 million for India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni at a glitzy player auction yesterday while Hyderabad spent $1.35 million on Australian Andrew Symonds.

Jacques Kallis was the most expensive South African player, attracting a $900 000 bid from Bangalore. The team will pay the winning bid to the player annually. The contracts are for a three-year period and are guaranteed by the Indian cricket board.

Rhodes, a former teammate of Kallis, said the South African all-rounder should not have gone for the bid price. "No, I wouldn't pay $900 000 for him -- I'd pay $1 million for him," Rhodes said today.

"Cricketers are probably among the most underpaid of professional sportsmen, especially when you consider what tennis players and golfers earn. We're just not used to cricketers earning that amount of money. But when you consider the size of the Indian cricket market, a million dollars is a drop in the ocean."

Rhodes said factors other than talent and experience had influenced the bids. "David Beckham was hauled across to the United States not for his soccer skills, but for his marketability," Rhodes said. "It's not just about the quality of the player, but also how many shirts he is going to sell and how many bums he is going to put on seats."

Former South African test batsman Graeme Pollock said the IPL would benefit the game as long as it did not detract from test cricket. South African captain Graeme Smith said he had been stunned by the amount of cash being spent. - Reuters