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[nahia]

SYDNEY: Sixty-six international players will be vying for an Indian Premier League contract in Tuesday's auction for season three.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, each of the teams will look to target one or two stars because their quotas are mostly full.

The contracts of years one and two were mostly for three years, so nearly all IPL sides have reached their limit of 10 international players. They have been paying out contracts for those they no longer want so they can bid in the auction, but interest will be limited to the handful of Twenty20 superstars.

Team owners will be keen on cricketers who can participate for the full six weeks, especially the start, when momentum, harmony and valuable points can be gained.

Some insiders estimate that only 10 of the 66 hopefuls might earn contracts, and even then they will be paid much less than the inaugural inductees because teams can only pay the same amount as the contracts they buy out.

Only two or three players will attract maximum bids, with West Indian Kieron Pollard and Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi certain to be among them.

The rest could expect $50,000 to $100,000," Kolkata Knight Riders director Joy Bhattacharya said.

"It will all depend on a team's requirement. Every team has its own needs. This will be a team's last piece of the puzzle, not a building of that puzzle," he added.