A bidding war between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore saw Australian all-rounders price soar at the IPL auction today - he was bought by RCB for a hefty $1.98million...which makes the price of Yuvraj Singh seem like a steal, as he was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for half a million dollars less, but still a very cool $1.46million.
The Australian allrounder is nearing the end of his international career but remains one of the most in-demand Twenty20 players in the world.
Watson was sold for almost four times his reserve price of $417,000, with the franchises coached by Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming and Dan Vettori squaring off.
Vettori's table was victorious, meaning Watson will join the likes of Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in Bangalore.
The incredible deal is close to an Australian record when it comes to IPL auction prices.
Shane Warne still holds that title, having been picked up for $2.01 million by Rajasthan Royals in 2011.
Yuvraj Singh holds the overall record, having signed a $3.31 million contract with Delhi Daredevils in 2015.
In this year's auction, Singh was purchased for approximately $1.46 million by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Watson scored an unbeaten 124 in a recent Twenty20 international against India at the SCG, while he was named the IPL's MVP in 2008 and 2013.
No other player has been awarded that crown twice.
"Incredibly excited to join such a great franchise. Looking forward to joining up with my new teammates in April," the 34-year-old tweeted.
Mitch Marsh, John Hastings, Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head were the other Australians picked up in the early stages of Saturday's auction.
Marsh, Hastings and Stoinis were all in Wellington as part of the national ODI squad when the auction unfolded.
Marsh was bought for $1 million by new side Rising Pune Supergiants, while Hastings headed to Kolkata Knight Riders for $271,000.
Stoinis will play for Kings XI Punjab after being sold for $115,000, while Head will join Watson at Bangalore and earn $104,000. Other players bought at the IPL auction today include:
Ashish Nehra (India) to Sunrisers Hyderabad for $1.1 million
Mitchell Marsh (Australia) to Rising Pune Supergiants for $1 million
Ishant Sharma (India) to Rising Pune Supergiants for $792,000
Jos Buttler (England) to Mumbai Indians for $792,000
Kevin Pietersen (England) to Rising Pune Supergiants for $730,000
Dale Steyn (South Africa) to Gujarat Lions for $479,000
John Hastings (Australia) to Kolkata Knight Riders for $260,000
Marcus Stoinis (Australia) to Kings XI Punjab for $113,000
Travis Head (Australia) to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $103,000
A total of 38 Australians were up for grabs at the auction in Bangalore.
Of the Australians already in possession of an IPL contract for 2016, Mitchell Johnson ($1.34 million, Kings XI Punjab), Glenn Maxwell ($1.24 million, Kings XI Punjab), David Warner ($1.14 million Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Mitchell Starc ($1.03 million, Royal Challengers Bangalore) were all retained by their respective franchises at top dollar.
Steve Smith and James Faulkner also earned $1.14 million each after they were picked up by new franchises, Pune and Rajkot respectively, in a pre-auction draft late last year.
Many BIG names remain unclaimed!!!
Despite the good news for the above players, several key players remain in the pool. They include
Aaron Finch (Australia)
Martin Guptill (New Zealand)
Michael Hussey (Australia)
Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
Hashim Amla (South Africa)
Brad Haddin (Australia)
James Pattinson (Australia)
Nathan Lyon (Australia)
Kane Richardson (Australia)
