Source -
iol.co.za
South African skipper Graeme Smith on Thursday said he was looking forward to playing alongside Australian bowling legend Shane Warne in the inaugural Indian Premier League.
Smith, who was signed for Jaipur for $475,000 (around R3-million) at an auction in Mumbai on Wednesday, also lauded the concept of having teams play in the shortest form of the game over an action-packed 44 days.
"I will be sharing the same team as Shane Warne. It will be a unique challenge as we have been competitive against each other in the past and now we will be teammates," the left-handed opener said.
"It is a good concept and we are looking forward to it as players."
The world's leading cricketers scooped huge paydays at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction with 77 players featuring in an unprecedented sell-off for the tournament, which starts on April 18.
Smith and five other South African players currently on a tour of Bangladesh and India, including crowd-pullers Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini, are slated to play in the IPL for various teams.
With the Proteas' last Test against India ending on April 15, the players will barely have three days before jumping on the IPL bandwagon.
Retired South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock, axed batsman Herschelle Gibbs and out-of-favour batsman Loots Bosman will also figure in the money-spinning limited-overs tournament.
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