Cricket: Brendon McCullum lands on new IPL team

Brendon McCullum has been picked up by the new Rajkot franchise in the IPL player draft held in Mumbai. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Brendon McCullum has a new home in the Indian Premier League.

The Black Caps' skipper has been picked up on a $1.6 million deal by the new Rajkot franchise in the IPL player draft held in Mumbai.

A new team based in Pune also selected players in the draft.

The sides are temporary replacements for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who are suspended for two years over corruption and spot-fixing in 2013.

Players from Chennai and Rajasthan were made available in the draft for the two teams to pick five players each at the salary they were getting with their old teams.

India's limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina will play for the new franchises, with Dhoni going to Pune and Raina being picked up by Rajkot.

Australian captain Steven Smith, South African batsman Faf du Plessis and Indians Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin were selected by Pune.

Aside from McCullum, Rajkot picked up India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Australian all-rounder James Faulkner and West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

The remaining players from Chennai and Rajasthan will be available to Pune and Rajkot in an auction to be conducted in February.

Last week, New Rising Consortium-owned Pune and mobile phone manufacturer Intex-owned Rajkot were selected as the replacement franchises following a reverse-bidding process in which bidders were asked to discount their annual revenue share of $6 million.

New Rising gave up that revenue entirely and also committed to pay $2.4 million per year to the BCCI.

Intex will pay $1.5 million per year.

- AAP