Starc shatters Cummins’ record for most expensive player at IPL auction،
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has broken the record for the most expensive player at an IPL auction after being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 24.75 crore (approximately US$2,982,000). It surpassed the winning bid of INR 20.50 crore (approximately US$2,470,000) that Sunrisers Hyderabad had made for Pat Cummins, Australia's ODI World Cup-winning captain, less than two hours earlier during the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai.
Starc came up for bidding in the first set for the fast bowlers – the fourth set of the day – and the battle for him began between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. However, it was quickly snapped up by Gujarat Titans and KKR, the only franchises with over INR 30 crores in their purse at that time, and KKR won the final bid.
The last time Starc participated in an IPL auction was in 2018 when KKR signed him for INR 9.4 crore. However, he did not play that season due to injury. in fact, he hasn't played the IPL since 2015.
“I probably prioritized international cricket for a long time while getting a taste of the IPL and the Big Bash in Australia,” Starc said after his application. “I have always maintained that I want to play my best cricket for Australia and make myself available for Australia wherever I can. At the same time, the temptation of returning to the IPL and how exciting it is to be involved in “Such a big tournament, big names, big players, big stages, it’s too hard to pass up. There is a place to play all of this. You just have to pay attention and put in the work ethic to be able to do anything.”
Before Starc's record bid, Sunrisers had spent INR 20.50 crore (approximately US$2,470,000) to sign Cummins, avoiding competition from Royal Challengers Bangalore to get their man. Cummins' price had surpassed the record INR 18.50 crore that Punjab Kings had paid for England all-rounder Sam Curran in the IPL 2023 auction. Cummins had skipped IPL 2023 to concentrate on international cricket ; his previous highest auction price was INR 15.50 crore, when KKR signed him in 2020.
“I am delighted to join SRH for the upcoming IPL season,” Cummins said after his sale. “I've heard a lot about the Orange Army, I've played in Hyderabad a few times and always loved it, so I can't wait to get started. It's great to see another Australian at Trav Head there -low too. I think we're going to have a lot of fun this season and hopefully have a lot of success.”
Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vettori said they were able to spend so much on Cummins because they already had most of the bases covered. “Someone else desperately wanted it too, that’s why it was pushed to that high number,” Vettori said. “Because our team is relatively stable and we have the budget, and we've already got Travis Head back and [Wanindu] Hasaranga, we felt like we covered most of the things we wanted in the auction, so we had the flexibility to spend that much. “
ODI World Cup performers get big salaries
New Zealanders Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, Australian slugger Travis Head, South African all-rounder Gerald Coetzee and Sri Lankan quick Dilshan Madushanka landed IPL contracts thanks to impressive performances in the recent ODI World Cup in India .
Mitchell was fiercely opposed by the Capitals, Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, and was eventually bought for INR 14 crore by CSK after entering the auction at a base price of INR 1 crore. Ravindra was also bought by CSK for INR 1.8 crore.
CSK had also wanted to buy Head, the player of the match in the ODI World Cup semi-final and final, but lost him to Sunrisers, who signed him for INR 6.8 crore.
Coetzee (INR 5 crore) and Madushanka (INR 4.6 crore) were signed by Mumbai Indians for a total of INR 9.6 crore – these were their first two auction purchases.
Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has also found his place with the Titans, alongside his compatriots Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad.
Uncapped Indians earn big money
UP top-order batter Sameer Rizvi, Jharkhand wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra and Vidarbha middle-order batter Shubham Dubey, three of the players selected by ESPNcricinfo for the most in-demand uncapped Indian players during the auction, won big IPL contracts.
Dubey went first, with the Capitals pursuing him with intent, but he was eventually sold to the Royals for INR 5.8 crores. Rizvi's name cropped up soon after, and while Dubey's fee was the highest paid for an uncapped hitter with no IPL experience, surpassing the INR 5.25 paid by Punjab for Shahrukh Khan in 2021, the record n didn't last long – Rizvi earned INR 8.40 crore. after CSK spurned the Titans and Capitals for his services.
Kushagra, for a while, threatened to outdo Rizvi's offer, but Capitals got him for INR 7.20 crores after fighting off competition from CSK and Titans. A fight was expected for Shahrukh, and there was one between Punjab – who had released him before the auction – and the Titans. His price went up until it stopped at INR 7.40 crore with the Titans getting the best-performing middle-order hitter.
The Titans also tried to buy back left-arm quick Yash Dayal, who eventually went to RCB for INR 5 crore. The Titans, however, picked up another quickie from left-armer Sushant Mishra for INR 2.2 crores, while left-armer M Siddharth went to LSG for INR 2.4 crores.
One of the biggest surprises came late in the auction when 21-year-old uncapped Robin Minz, a wicketkeeper from Jharkhand with a base price of INR 20 lakh, was put up for auction. Four teams wanted him, first CSK and MI, then SRH, before he was finally sold for INR 3.6 crores to the Titans. An aggressive batsman from Gumla, Minz has not played any domestic T20 cricket. One of his three coaches is Chanchal Bhattacharya, who has also coached MS Dhoni. Minz idolizes Dhoni and was selected for a Mumbai Indians camp earlier this year.
Big surprise purchases
The 2024 auction had started with a surprise, when West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell was signed for INR 7.4 crore by Rajasthan Royals, who spent more than half of their purse bidding for a player. Powell's previous auction price was INR 2.8 crore, which Capitals paid for him in the 2022 auction.
West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was also hotly contested by CSK, Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and RCB. He had been released by the Titans, who paid INR 2.4 crores for him in the 2022 auction, and was signed for INR 11.50 crores by RCB, who needed a fast bowler at home. foreigner after releasing Josh Hazlewood, Wayne Parnell and David Willey.
Australian left-arm quick Spencer Johnson, who plays for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, was another surprise buy in the fast-track round towards the end of the auction. After entering the auction at a base price of INR 50 lakh, Johnson's price skyrocketed as the Capitals and Titans bid for him. He eventually opted for INR 10 crore to the Titans, who needed an overseas fast bowler as a replacement for Josh Little. After losing Johnson to the Titans, the Capitals picked up Australian quick Jhye Richardson soon after for INR 5 crore.
After snapping up overseas quicks Coetzee and Madhushanka, Mumbai bought a third overseas fast bowler, 29-year-old Sri Lankan Nuwan Ensurea, who has played five T20 internationals. KKR and RCB started the bidding for him, but MI eventually won the bid for INR 4.8 crores.
South African slugger Rilee Rossouw remained unsold when it went up for auction at the start of the auction, but was in high demand during the fast-track round at the end of the day. Capitals had bought Rossouw for INR 4.6 crores in the 2023 auction and then released him, but they again participated in the auction for him and increased the price up to INR 8 crores, after which they lost it to Punjab.
How did the selected Indian players fare?
The most expensive Indian player in the IPL 2024 auction was fast bowler Harshal Patel. Bidding for him began between Titans and Punjab, then between Punjab and LSG, before he was finally sold to Punjab for INR 11.75 crores.
All-rounder Shardul Thakur (INR 4 crore) will return for his second stint with CSK, who signed him for INR 4 crore. The last time Thakur was auctioned, he had opted for INR 10.75 crores to Capitals in 2022.
Fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi were also in high demand. SRH and Capitals tried to sign Umesh, but Titans ultimately did so for INR 5.8 crores. Mavi became LSG's first buy in the 2024 auction, when they outbid RCB by spending almost half of their remaining purse to sign him for INR 6.4 crore.
Jaydev Unadkat, who once commanded a bid of INR 11.4 crore in the 2018 auction, was sold for INR 1.6 crore to Sunrisers.
Flights
Sunrisers bought Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga at his base price of INR 1.5 crore as a like-for-like replacement for Adil Rashid, whom they had released. Last time Hasaranga was sold in the 2022 auction, RCB had paid INR 10.75 crores for him.
The Capitals managed to sign English slugger Harry Brook for INR 4 crore; Brook was signed by Sunrisers for INR 13.25 crore last year and then released after an unremarkable debut IPL season.
