The Australian duo are now the two most expensive players in the IPL
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history after he was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping INR 24.75 crore fee on Tuesday during IPL 2024 auctions.
A long bidding war between KKR and Gujrat Titans (GT) took place for the in-demand Australian pacer which the former eventually won.
Starc trumped his national teammate Pat Cummins to become the costliest player in IPL. The 30-year-old was signed by Sunrises Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 20.5 crore following an intense intense bidding war for the 2023 World Cup winning captain between Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Hyderabad, the 30-year-old was eventually scooped in by SRH where he is also expected to lead them.
That was the first time that the 20-crore barrier was broken in the IPL auction.
Cummins is a versatile player who can deliver not just with the ball but also with the bat and his leadership skills separate him from many cricketers in the world. SRH needed such a profile, which is one of the reasons why they went as far as paying INR 20.5 crore for the 30-year-old.
The Aussie broke English pacer Sam Curran’s record of being the most expensive player. Curran was sold for 18.50 crore during the IPL 2023 auction to Punjab Kings.
The 30-year-old joined his countryman Travis Head, the hero of the 2023 World Cup final, at SRH, as the left-handed batter was signed for INR. 6.8 crore.
It is worth noting that Cummins guided Australia to remarkable success during 2023. In June 2023, the Aussies beat India to win the World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle and then went on to hand the Blues a thumping defeat in the World Cup final where Head scored 137 off 120 balls.
It must be noted that Cummins pulled out of IPL 2023 with Kolkata Knight Riders citing workload as the reason.
Meanwhile, IPL 2024 would be a great way to prepare for the upcoming World Cup 2024 which is scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the United States of America in June 2024.
