Gilchrist goes big at MCL auction

Adam Gilchrist's playing days are set to continue after the champion wicketkeeper-batsman was signed to a lucrative deal in the inaugural Masters Champions League auction in Dubai overnight.

Gilchrist was the second-highest paid player on Monday, going for US$170,000, only $5,000 short of legendary South African allrounder Jacques Kallis.

The pair were two of six icon players in the auction whose base price was $100,000. Rapid fast bowler Brett Lee and dashing batsman Brian Lara were sold for their base price, while England's Paul Collingwood was bought for $140,000 and spin wizard Muthiah Muralidaran $120,000. 

WATCH: Classic Glilchrist catches

Allrounder Andrew Symonds will join Collingwood at the Capricorn Commanders after the Queenslander was snapped up for $120,000.

In total, 10 Australians were auctioned off in the cricket meat market, with T20 veterans Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg and Shaun Tait among the signatures.

Michael Vaughan, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Swann, Mahela Jayawardene, Daniel Vettori and Graeme Smith are some of the other big names to headline the new event, which has received a 10-year approval from the Emirates Cricket Board.

The tournament organisers would have been buoyed by the success of Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar's Cricket All Stars T20 series in the USA which attracted bumper crowds in New York, Houston and Los Angeles. 

WATCH: Kallis lights up SCG with fantastic fifty

The six-team league is pencilled in for January next year, the same time several of the signed talent will be in Australia competing in the KFC Big Bash League.

Capricorn Commanders - Michael Vaughan, Abdul Razzaq, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Symonds, Chamara Silva, Ashwell Prince, Upul Chandana, Ryan McLaren, Jeetan Patel, Rikki Clarke, Rory Kleinveldt, Ben Laughlin, Rizwan Cheema, Geraint Jones, Sunil Joshi, Saleem Elahi.

Gemini Arabians - Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kyle Mills, Saqlain Mushtaq, Jacques Rudolph, Naved-ul-Hasan, Justin Kemp, Paul Harris, Brad Hodge, Richard Levi, Ashish Bagai, Graham Onions, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Saqib Ali.

Libra Legends - Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Swann, Jacques Kallis, Brad Hogg, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ajay Ratra, Chris Read, Sean Ervine, Shaun Tait, Ryan Sidebottom, Michael Lumb, Marcus North, Taufeeq Umar, Nicky Boje, Ian Butler.

Leo Lions - Heath Streak, Scott Styris, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs, Brendan Taylor, James Franklin, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, Fidel Edwards, Mohammad Tauqir, Neil Carter, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Jarvis, Ramesh Powar, Simon Jones, Darren Gough.

Sagittarius Soldiers - Mahela Jayawardene, Daniel Vettori, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Bond, Khurram Khan, Phil Mustard, Tino Best, Nathan Hauritz, Alviro Petersen, Michael Carberry, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Trott, Yasir Hameed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Gavin Hamilton.

Virgo Super Kings - Graeme Smith, Azhar Mahmood, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Neil McKenzie, John Mooney, Dirk Nannes, Owais Shah, James Foster, Murali Kartik, Malinga Bandara, Gareth Batty, Hasan Raza, Jacob Oram, Humayun Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf.