Pat Cummins had set the record for being the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League when Sunrisers Hyderabad had shelled out a whopping ₹20.5 crore for the Australia captain at the IPL auction 2024 in Dubai. But little did Cummins know that his accomplishment would barely last an hour as he was beaten by none other than his Australia teammate Mitchell Starc. The left-arm quick, who was expected to break the bank, lived up to the hype, going for a gobsmacking ₹24.75 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders. This marks Starc's second stint with the two-time IPL champions after he had represented them back in 2015.
Starc was always expected to be one of the biggest and most eye-catching buys. Starc had apparently received offers from as many as five franchises the moment he put his name into the auction process. And given the madness that transpired inside Dubai's Coca-Cola arena, it was little surprise why? Starc's name, when announced by auctioneer Mallika Sagar, brought out a collective gasp and some hooting from the crowd, and boy, wasn't that reaction a sign of things to come? Starc, base price of ₹2 crore, was immediately targetted by Mumbai Indians, after which Delhi Capitals joined the race. A Delhi vs Mumbai bidding war unfolded before DC withdrew when the mark reached ₹9.4 crore.
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But MI's happiness was short-lived as Gujarat Titans joined the race. Their first raise of the paddle took Starc's range to ₹9.6 crore after which MI pulled out. The disappointment on Akash Ambani's face was visible, but it was just the beginning of the drama that unfolded over the next 5-10 minutes. GT's bid was outmatched by KKR, as Gambhir, seated at the table, went on a splurging spree. A neck-and-neck battle ensued and the tension of the face of the crowd was palpable. Like Cummins, as soon as Starc reached the ₹20 crore margin, the area broke out in a huge round of applause, and the volume of it only kept going higher with every raise of the paddle. One big short of hitting the ₹25-crore bracket, GT believed they had enough. A smile braced the face of Gautam Gambhir and as soon as Sagar struck the gavel down, KKR knew they had hit gold.
{{/usCountry}}But MI's happiness was short-lived as Gujarat Titans joined the race. Their first raise of the paddle took Starc's range to ₹9.6 crore after which MI pulled out. The disappointment on Akash Ambani's face was visible, but it was just the beginning of the drama that unfolded over the next 5-10 minutes. GT's bid was outmatched by KKR, as Gambhir, seated at the table, went on a splurging spree. A neck-and-neck battle ensued and the tension of the face of the crowd was palpable. Like Cummins, as soon as Starc reached the ₹20 crore margin, the area broke out in a huge round of applause, and the volume of it only kept going higher with every raise of the paddle. One big short of hitting the ₹25-crore bracket, GT believed they had enough. A smile braced the face of Gautam Gambhir and as soon as Sagar struck the gavel down, KKR knew they had hit gold.
{{/usCountry}}Having entered the auction with a purse of ₹32.7 crore, KKR are currently left with approximately ₹6 crore, with KS Bharat and Chetan Sakariya being the other two buys for ₹50 lakh each. Starc's bid was so monumental that it overshadowed the other noteworthy purchases in Set 3 and 4. Umesh Yadav was picked by Gujarat Titans for ₹5.8 crore and Chris Woakes found an IPL home at Punjab Kings for ₹4.2 crore.
That franchises were willing to go all the way for Starc sure does raise eyebrows. He hasn't played an IPL game since 2015 and his T20I record hasn't been the greatest – 73 wickets from 58 games at an average of 22.91, strike-rate of 18 and economy rate of 7.63. Besides, in a trivia that promises to come as a shocker, Starc is yet to play a single T20I in India.