 "Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc")
Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has backed Australian pacer Mitchell Starc as the most expensive buy in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 auction.
Starc has stated his intention to appear in the IPL 2024, a tournament that will play a major role in preparation for the T20 World Cup.
Hosting JioCinema's daily sports show '#AAKASHVANI,' Aakash Chopra discussed the possibility of Mitchell Starc being the most expensive pick at the IPL Auction on December 19.
"Mitchell Starc would take away a million dollars. Almost everyone who plays in Australia has registered for the IPL auctions. But the most popular of them is undoubtedly Starc. He is a gun bowler with the new ball, picks up early wickets and bowls yorkers as well. Starc is also a good death bowler and has impressive IPL numbers as well. He did well playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. However, since then, the number of times he has backed out of playing in the league is definitely a concerning factor," Chopra said.
He further went on to point out that if the left-arm pacer decided to opt out at the last moment or midway through the season, it could leave the franchise in a tough spot.
"After a team buys him, if he backs out at the last moment in order to focus on the Ashes or any personal reason, then the team is in a spot of trouble. They will have the money released but key players will not be there. Even in this auction, apart from Starc, there will be other key bowlers like Gerald Coetzee, Josh Hazlewood, Dilshan Madushanka, Ben Dwarshuis and more. But if you buy Starc and he backs out later, then you cannot go back to these names, and they won't be available anymore. I won't be surprised if Starc goes for a huge sum of money but I will be a little sceptical; what if he backs out?" Chopra added.
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