Shane Warne raised A$1 million (₹5 crore) towards donation for the Australian bushfire relief fund, as his auction for the baggy green cap came to a close on Friday.

The legendary cricketer had put his precious baggy green cap up for auction on Monday. The auction came to an end post an exciting bidding war. Warne expressed his gratitude on Twitter after selling off the cap.

“Thank you so much to everyone that placed a bid & a huge Thankyou/congrats to the successful bidder - you have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations! The money will go direct to the Red Cross bushfire appeal. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou,” Warne said in a tweet.

The furious bidding war pushed the price of the cap to AUD 1,00,7,500.

The bid had already crossed the $950K mark in a mere 40 minutes before the auction, which was promoted by other famous cricketers including Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist.

“$950k + and climbing! Bring on the 1-million. Well done  @ShaneWarne ,” tweeted Lee.

 

All the money raised from the auction will be donated to the relief fund to help people who have suffered from the devastating bushfires in Australia.

Warne had decided to put up the baggy green for auction following the news of the horrific Australian bushfires causing catastrophic damage to wildlife and property.

“The horrific bushfires in Australia have left us all in disbelief,” wrote Warne in a post placing his cap up for auction. “The impact these devastating fires are having on so many people is unthinkable and has touched us all. Lives have been lost, homes have been destroyed and over 500 million animals have died too. Everyone is in this together and we continue to find ways to contribute and help on a daily basis. This has led me to auction off my beloved baggy green cap (350) that I wore throughout my test career (when I wasn’t wearing my white floppy hat). I hope my baggy green can raise some significant funds for help all those people that are in desperate need. Please go to the link in my bio and make a bid & help me to donate a big cheque! Thank you so much!”

The gesture garnered a lot of support from people across India and abroad with positive responses flooding the cricketer’s social media.

The CEO of Cricket Australia had earlier shown his appreciation for Warne’s gesture and had promoted the auction on Twitter. “Great gesture by  @ShaneWarne  to auction his baggy green. Shane has a long history of giving generously and deserves more credit for it. People on the streets of Galle (in Sri Lanka) still talk about how much he did to help them recover from the tsunami. ‘Hats off’ to you Warney!” he said in the tweet.

The legendary cricketer had donned the cap during his 145-Test career taking more than 700 wickets throughout, the Telegraph reported. It surpassed the A$425,000 paid for the cap belonging to the legendary Donald Bradman which was auctioned off in 2003. The baggy green cap is given to Australian players who make their debut in Test and is considered a badge of pride.

The winning bidder was Australia’s biggest lender, the Commonwealth Bank, which intends to take the cap on a tour around the country to raise more donations before handing it over to the Bradman Museum in Bowral, Sydney, as a permanent exhibit according to the Telegraph report.

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