No takers for Dhoni's bat

Earlier this week an auction and benefit dinner was held in London to mark the UK launch of an Indian cricket fan collective called the 'Indian Cricket Dundee' and to raise funds for the Yuvraj Singh Foundation aimed at providing funds for under-privileged sports enthusiasts.

Most of the members of the Indian team turned up for the black-tie event, not wearing tuxedos of course, but dressed in jackets, blazers and suits. Ten lots belonging to various India players were sold in the auction. From Gautam Gambhir's gloves worn during the World Cup final, one of Yuvraj Singh's shirts from the same tournament signed by the whole team, Sachin Tendulkar's IPL bat (which went for more than £10,000) to the shirt Harbhajan Singh took his 400th wicket in, all were put under the auctioneer's hammer. The black-tie event went on even after 11pm (UK time) on Monday night and ended just after most of the members of the Indian team had left. Just as well, because right at the end, only one item went unsold: a bat belonging to India captain MS Dhoni.