Richard Madley
Richard Madley is a Welsh auctioneer. He served as the auctioneer of the Indian Premier League auctions since the inception of the league in 2008 and last appeared as an auctioneer at an IPL auction in 2018. He was nicknamed as the Hammer Man.[1]
Career
[edit]Richard represented Wales in junior international hockey and also plied his trade in cricket while playing in the Surrey League.[2] In junior hockey, he represented Wales at various age groups namely under-18, under-19 ans under-21 levels at European Championships.[2] Richard joined the prominent auction house of Phillips Son and Neale in Stratford, New Bond Street in 1978 initially working as a floor sweeper.[3] At Phillips Son and Neale, he was then promoted as a salesroom porter thereby embarking on a career trajectory oriented towards auctioneering.[2] He also hosted auctions of Impressionist Art, Old Master drawings, fine jewellery and 18th century furniture.[4]
He also learnt the basics of portering, sales & marketing, accountancy and cataloguing in addition to auctioneering during his corporate career.[2] He was introduced to host rugby memorabilia auctions in Arms Park Rugby Stadium in Cardiff. He was also later appointed as an auctioneer for the Welsh Rugby Players Association.[5] He also appeared regularly in television and radio broadcasts on BBC and ITV. He also predominantly worked as an auction expert for the BBC television game show Bargain Hunt, which was regarded as the most popular daytime TV programme in Great Britain.[6][5] He was the fulcrum in helping to facilitate viewership for Antiques Roadshow, a British programme in which appraisers travel to various regions of the UK to share knowledge on a number of intricate antique items.[7] After serving at Philips Son and Neale for nearly two decades, he accepted an invitation to join Christie's as President of Christie's East, New York.[3] He began working as an auctioneer after moving to New York and engaged in auctioning baseball memorabilia.[2] He had hosted auctions selling baseball memorabilia, rugby memorabilia before making a switch to cricket, a sport in which Madley was more keen, eager and passionate about doing an auction.[8]
In September 2001, he was incidentally the last auctioneer to conduct an auction at the World Trade Centre in New York City, when he was at the forefront in proceeding with the auction at the Windows of the World located on the 107th floor.[5] The auction which he conducted at the World Trade Centre was subject to a massive terrorist attack on 11 September 2001, famously dubbed as the 9/11 attack, and the building was demolished exactly eight days later after Richard Madley had hosted an auction at the building.[2]
Richard Madley rose to prominence and limelight for his professional conduct of IPL auctions. He became immensely popular among fans for his unique approach and signature style in handling the role as an auctioneer during his ten-year stint in the Indian Premier League.[9][10] He was brought on board as auctioneer for the 2008 Indian Premier League auction. He was regarded as the face of the Indian Premier League auctions, but his popularity plunged in late 2018, when Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to part ways with him prior to the 2019 IPL auction, as BCCI replaced him with Hugh Edmeades.[11][12][13][14] The London Times, once highlighted that Richard was indeed the most important man in cricket.[15][16]
He recalled refreshing memories of how he witnessed an important moment as an auctioneer when Chennai Super Kings franchise went all out to desperately acquire Indian wicketkeeper batsman MS Dhoni during the inaugural IPL auction which was held on 20 February 2008.[17][18] Richard insisted that the auction became intense the moment Dhoni's name was announced by him when he was the auctioneer during the 2008 IPL auction, whereas it propelled excitement with most of the franchise representatives who were at the auction tables who had engaged in a bidding war to secure the services of Dhoni.[19][20][21][22]
In September 2024, he was appointed as an auctioneer to host the player auction ahead of the 2025 SA20.[23][17][24]
References
[edit]- ^ Martin, Ali (2017-02-18). "IPL 'Hammerman' primed to make Ben Stokes his latest auction millionaire". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b c d e f "Richard Madley - the safe hands behind IPL auction". www.cricbuzz.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b WalesOnline (2011-01-17). "Hammer Man's home after taking $62.8m in two days". Wales Online. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Jawalekar, Chinmay (2016-02-06). "IPL Auction: Meet Richard Madley, who will once again sell world's top cricketers". Cricket Country. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b c https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/bs-people-richard-madley-111011100002_1.html
- ^ Clements, Laura (2021-06-13). "Welsh auctioneer who's a superstar in India and Bargain Hunt favourite". Wales Online. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Richard Madley | Champions Speakers". champions-speakers.co.uk. 2024-09-25. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Staff, CricketCountry (2018-12-06). "Hugh Edmeades replaces Richard Madley for IPL 2019 auction". Cricket Country. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "IPL auction 2022: I have made more cricketers millionaires than anybody else, but the next IPL auctioneer should be an Indian, says auctioneer Richard Madley". The Times of India. 2022-02-11. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Team, DNA Web. "IPL 2019 Auction: No Richard Madley at this year's event- 'We will miss The Hammerman' say fans". DNA India. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "I feel let down and deflated: Former IPL auctioneer says he was axed in one-line email". India Today. 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "IPL Auction 2019: Hugh Edmeades says he's still friends with Richard Madley, Jaipur event gave him responsibility like never before". Firstpost. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "IPL Auctioneer Richard Madley 'disappointed' and 'let down' after snub". The Indian Express. 2018-12-08. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Staff, CricTracker (2022-02-12). "'There was no explanation given' – Former IPL Auctioneer Richard Madley says he does not know why he was removed by the BCCI after IPL 2018". CricTracker. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Richard Madley, Hugh Edmeades, Charu Sharma and Mallika Sagar — IPL auctions' gavel masters over the years - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 2024-11-17. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Ammon, Elizabeth (2018-01-26). "Richard Madley interview: TV auctioneer who briefly becomes the most important man in cricket". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b Albert, Renin Wilben (2024-11-21). ""There was a murmur around the room" - IPL's first-ever auctioneer Richard Madley revisits moment when MS Dhoni's name came up in the inaugural auction". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "IPL: Auctioneer Richard Madley says selling MS Dhoni for $1.5 million in 2008 was highlight of his career". India Today. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Richard Madley exclusive: IPL auctioneer recalls Dhoni sale, predicts 2025 biggies". India Today. 2024-11-23. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Mitra, Adreej Kumar (2024-11-19). "'Cricket changed forever' - Former IPL auctioneer Richard Madley on MS Dhoni going to CSK in 2008". CricTracker. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/then-came-the-ultimate-all-rounder-ex-ipl-auctioneer-richard-madley-recalls-how-csk-captain-ms-dhoni-triggered-first-bidding-war-in-2008-auction-101644317168887.html
- ^ Das, Ankush (2022-02-08). ""The first bidding war of many in the IPL" - Auctioneer Richard Madley recalls MS Dhoni's purchase from 2008". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Veteran auctioneer Richard Madley to conduct SA20 auctions after IPL success". ANI News. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ PTI (2024-09-19). "Renowned auctioneer Richard Madley to conduct SA20 Season three players' auction". Sportstar. Retrieved 2024-12-07.