In a horrific incident, IPL auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed midway during IPL 2022 auction taking place in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The incident happened when the 63-year-old British auctioneer was going through a long bidding war between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings over Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga. The auction was halted when RCB made a Rs 10.75 crore bid for the Sri Lankan as the camera caught Edmeades lying flat on the floor at the venue.
An early lunch, original lunch schedule was 3 PM IST, was called following the incident and Edmeades was rushed to hospital, reported news agency PTI.
Who is Hugh Edmeades?
Hugh is a British international fine art, classic car and charity auctioneer. In a 35-year career as a Christie’s auctioneer, he conducted more than 2,500 auctions, selling over 310,000 lots for a sum in excess of £2.7 billion. Hugh Edmeades has over 30 years of experience in auctioning.
In December 2018, Hugh was appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the auctioneer for the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL), only the second person to have been given the honour and privilege of conducting this prestigious auction.
Edmeades had made his debut in August 1984 and has conducted over 2,300 auctions so far. He has also presided over esteemed sales including the auction at the gala dinner to mark late Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. He stepped down from his full-time job at Christie’s in December 2016 to become an independent freelance auctioneer.
