IPL sides eye 'awesome' Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen could be at the centre of a bidding war that makes him the most expensive player in Indian Premier League auction history on Wednesday. The 33-year-old is available for the entire tournament for the first time after being sacked by England. "He is such an awesome player that every franchise would like to have him," said Kings XI Punjab head of cricket operations Anant Sarkaria. Former IPL chief Lalit Modi said Pietersen could cost a record £3m. Pietersen has been givethe highest possible reserve price of 20m rupees (£195,000), but competition among the eight franchises is expected to drive the cost of his signature far higher. Each franchise has a spending cap of 600m rupees (£5.87m).