IPL draft: Dhoni goes to Pune, Raina heads to Rajkot
India’s limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today emerged as the top draw in the IPL 2016 Auction draft with the Sanjeev Goenka-owned new franchise Pune opting to pick him first for the stipulated price of Rs 12.5 crore here. Dhoni’s India teammate Suresh Raina was the first preference for the other new team Rajkot, which is owned by Intex Mobiles. He will also get an identical Rs 12.5 crore by virtue of being the first player selected by the franchise. “Excited to play for the beautiful vibrant city- Rajkot in @IPL. Looking forward to have new teammates and support from the people of Gujarat,” Raina tweeted after the draft. In-form Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane was the second choice for Pune, while Rajkot opted for Ravindra Jadeja in the same position . Both players will be entitled to a purse of Rs 9.5 crore per year. The draft process was necessitated following the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL for two y...