 "Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc")
Australia’s premier left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, known for his toe-crushing yorkers, broke the record for the most expensive player ever at an Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, after being signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 24.75 crore.
Starc upstaged his World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins, who was earlier snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 20.5 crore during the auction in Dubai on Tuesday for the IPL’s 2024 edition.
The auction capped a stunning return for Starc, 33, who has not featured in the IPL since 2015. He was picked up by KKR at the 2018 auction for Rs 9.4 crore but did not participate in that season.
The big-ticket buys of Starc and Cummins set the stage for the mini-auction, with franchises targeting players who performed exceptionally in the recently concluded ODI World Cup.
The Chennai Super Kings splurged Rs 14 crore on New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, while the SRH picked up Australian batter Travis Head for Rs 6.8 crore on the back of their impressive performances in the World Cup.
Among Indians, unheralded Sameer Rizvi, a top-order batter from Uttar Pradesh, elicited a frenetic bidding war before CSK decided to break the bank and buy him for Rs 8.4 crore. Jharkhand’s wicket-keeper Kumar Kushagra landed a plum contract after Delhi Capitals swooped him for Rs 7.2 crore.
Top buys, ever:
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1. Mitchell Starc: KKR Rs 24.75 crore (2024)
2. Pat Cummins: SRH Rs 20.5 crore (2024)
3. Sam Curran: PBKS Rs 18.5 crore (2023)
4. Cameron Green: MI Rs 17.5 crore (2023)
5. Ben Stokes: CSK Rs 16.25 crore (2023)
Shining Indians (2023):
1. Sameer Rizvi: CSK Rs 8.4 crore
2. Kumar Kushagra: Delhi Capitals Rs 7.2 crore
Other big deals:
1. Daryl Mitchell: CSK Rs 14 crore
2. Travis Head: SRH Rs 6.8 crore
