The first-ever IPL auctioneer Richard Madley congratulated Mallika Sagar as she makes her debut as an IPL auctioneer on December 19 (Tuesday). In a post by Madley, he congratulated Sagar after being appointed as the auctioneer for IPL 2024 as he termed it as the ‘Ultimate honour’.
“Good luck Mallika Sagar as you prepare for the #IPL2024Auction. It is the ultimate honour to be invited to conduct the world’s highest-profile auction and I wish you well. I will always treasure the memories,” wrote Madley on his ‘X’ account.
Mallika will become the fourth auctioneer to conduct the IPL auction. As stated above, Madley was the IPL auctioneer for almost a decade, from the first season in 2008 until the 2018 auction. Since the 2018 auction, Hugh Edmeades has been the person responsible for conducting IPL auctions until 2023.
In the 2022 mega auction, Charu Sharma became the first Indian to conduct the auction after Edmeades had a medical emergency in the middle of the auction. Mallika will become not just the first Indian to conduct a full auction from the start but also the first female auctioneer in IPL history.
Mallika Sagar has already conducted the WPL auction on both occasions. She has also been associated with sport in the past. Sagar has earlier conducted the auction of the Pro Kabaddi League in 2021.