IPL 2022 mega auction: Who is Hugh Edmeades? The auctioneer running the show in Bengaluru

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction Day 1 is underway, but it was halted after auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed mid auction due to low BP. However, it is relief for all as the news came in that Hugh Edmeades is fine and the auction is set to resume at 3:30 PM IST.

Britain's Hugh Edmeades had been chosen to be the IPL 2022 auctioneer and be responsible for conducting the bidding of 600 players that have registered this year. 

Who is Hugh Edmeades?

Hugh Edmeades had replaced previous auctioneer Richard Madley and was appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2018 to conduct the IPL auctions.

The Brit has over 35 years of experience in conducting auctions and has led more than 2,500 auctions globally. From international fine art, classic cars and also charities, the man has been part of various auctions. 

According to his personal website, where he has given a detailed explanation, he has auctioned players, items and other things in excess of 310,000 lots for a staggering amount of 2.7 billion pounds.

In fact, in 2004, he auctioned off 88 guitars belonging to Eric Clapton and raised a staggering amount of $7,438,624. He was also involved in the sale of Daniel Craig's Aston Martin DB10 from the James Bond's Spectre movie for £2,434,500 in 2016.

Ahead of the IPL auction, Edmeades had said that during his four-decade career as an auctioneer, he has conducted a lot of two-day auctions, but never one that lasted for 12 hours. He even added that he was not fazed by the idea of being on his feet for 12 hours.

"During my 38 years as an auctioneer, I have taken plenty of two-day auctions, but admittedly, none lasting a potential 12+ hours. However, I am not at all fazed by the prospect of being on my feet for up to six hours each day. Mentally and physically, I will be splitting the sessions into "bite-size pieces" and taking the opportunities to regroup during the breaks in the auction," Hugh Edmeades had said according to InsideSport. 

Now in IPL 2022 mega auction, he will be auctioning a total of 600 cricketers during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. Of the total pool, 229 are capped players, 364 are uncapped players and seven belong to the Associate Nations.