Kevin O'Brien's blitzkrieg in the 2011 World Cup against England not only made the world sit up and take note, the knock attracted attention from across the world including the Indian Premier League. The 27-year-old all-rounder, who now holds the record for the fastest century in the World Cup, was approached by the Kochi Tuskers Kerala as a replacement player but the deal could not be completed due to technical reasons.
Yes, after the World Cup, the Kochi Tuskers approached me... but unfortunately I could not (join them) since I was not on last year's auction list, said Kevin, who along with his brother, Niall, and Tom Cooper of the Netherlands are the only three players from associate member nations to find a place in this season's auction list.
The auction will be held in Bangalore on February 4 and the list has been finalised after consultation with the nine teams.
Though Kevin missed out last season, he is on the wish-list of a few teams after his exploits for Gloucestershire, who signed him as a limited-overs specialist after the World Cup.
Gloucestershire chief, John Bracewell, promoted him to the opener's spot in the T20 championship and the Irishman responded by scoring the tournament's fastest ton against Middlesex apart from a few more match-winning knocks.
It (opening the innings) gave me an opportunity to add more strings to the bow. I am now confident of opening the innings anywhere in the world, said Kevin, who has also signed a three-year deal with the Sri Lanka Premier League.
© HT
