The IPL began in 2008. The first player to be sold in the IPL was Shane Warne, who was bought by the Rajasthan Royals, the eventual champions of the first season. But do you know which player was sent the very first IPL contract? It was West Indies legend Brian Lara. However, the left-handed batsman placed a condition in front of the BCCI that ended his IPL career before it even began. He never got to play in the IPL.

In 2008, when the IPL was launched, the BCCI wanted global cricket legends and big players to be part of the league. At that time, the IPL had no brand value, so to attract top cricketers, the BCCI offered significant money. They set a cap for foreign players ranging from $50,000 to $400,000. This meant that even if a player didn't earn much in the auction, the BCCI guaranteed them this amount.

The BCCI placed top foreign players like Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, and Shane Warne in the $400,000 capped category. Similarly, Brian Lara was also offered $400,000, but he rejected it because his condition was that he would only join the IPL for a guaranteed $1 million.

The amount Lara demanded was not just double but two-and-a-half times higher than what the BCCI had offered. Considering that Lara had just retired from international cricket at the time, the BCCI did not accept his demand. As a result, Lara never joined or played in the IPL.

Very few people know that Lara entered his name in the 2011 IPL auction. At that time, he was 41 years old and had set his base price at $400,000 (approximately ₹1.8 crore). Surprisingly, no franchise placed a bid for this legendary batsman.

However, even though Lara couldn't play as a cricketer, he did not stay away from the IPL. He remained associated with Sunrisers Hyderabad for a long time.