LONDON: Bestselling British author Jeffrey Archer, an avid follower of cricket and a big fan of the late Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, will conduct an auction next month on behalf of the Pataudi Trust to raise money for the blind in India. The English and Australian cricket teams, currently playing the Ashes series here, have signed a special bat that will be auctioned along with some rare sporting memorabilia on September 12.

The actor Sharmila Tagore, Pataudi's widow, and her entire family — son Saif Ali Khan, daughter-in-law Kareena Kapoor, daughters Saba and Soha Ali Khan — will be in London for the auction at Mayfair Hotel. "Lord Archer is a keen follower of cricket and has been a great admirer of Tiger," Tagore told TOI. "When Tiger died, he wrote admirable pieces on him. A short story in his book 'A Quiver Full of Arrows', a collection of 12 stories, had one on Tiger. He, therefore, readily agreed to carry out the auction."

Among cricketing memorabilia to be auctioned to raise funds for the Venu Eye Institute that runs an eye hospital in Pataudi, Haryana, will also be a bat signed by the Champions Trophy-winning Indian cricket team, a ball signed by Anil Kumble and a bat autographed by Rahul Dravid. What will surely be a showstopper at the auction will be the bid for a T-shirt belonging to and signed by arguably the world's best footballer, the Argentine and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

"An earring designed by me will be auctioned," said Saba, Tiger Pataudi's youngest daughter, who was recently designated as the custodian of the Pataudi Trust that takes care of huge properties spread from Bhopal to Saudi Arabia. "We want to raise funds for the visually impaired and help the blind." A special watch belonging to Saif and one of Kareena's favourite saris will also be auctioned. Fashion brand Burberry is giving its signature trench coat for the auction.

So, is any object belonging to Tiger also going under the hammer? "Not in this auction," said Tagore. "Earlier I had given a blazer from Tiger's first and last Test to [the actor] Rahul Bose, who auctioned it to raise funds for his charity."

The family said: "The Pataudi family has undertaken many philanthropic initiatives since patriarch Mansoor Ali Khan's demise two years ago. They have established a trust in his name to contribute towards various social causes. The initiative we are working on currently is a fundraiser dinner, which will take place in London."