‘That’s why you pay him the big bucks’: Dale Steyn silences Mitchell Starc price tag critics after Super Over heroics

Mitchell Starc proved to be the match-winner as DC beat RR in their IPL 2025 fixture on Wednesday.

DC vs RR proved to be an entertaining thriller as the showdown reached the Super Over, where the hosts came out on top at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Mitchell Starc was adjudged as Player of the Match due to his heroics in the Super Over.

Mitchell Starc runs out RR batter Riyan Parag.(PTI)

Starc was sent to bowl in the Super Over and RR could only post 11/2, losing Riyan Parag (4) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (0). In response, DC chased down the 12-run Super Over target with ease, reaching 13/0 in four deliveries vs Sandeep Sharma.

Starc’s performance, in particular, was praised by fans and experts, as many felt that he justified his price tag. Starc was purchased by DC for ₹11.75 Crores, from a base price of ₹2 Crores, and was also DC’s second-most expensive player in the mega auction last year.

Dale Steyn praises Mitchell Starc

Even former South African pacer Dale Steyn joined the bandwagon. Known to be one of the most lethal bowlers in cricket history, Steyn took to X, and wrote, “That’s why you pay him the big bucks”, in reference to Starc’s price tag.

At one point, Starc was also the most expensive player in IPL history, when he was purchased by KKR for ₹24.75 Crores ahead of IPL 2024, but that record has now been broken by Pant. Even in 2024, he was initially criticised for not justifying his price tag, but soon that changed to praises as KKR won the title.

On Wednesday, initially a two-wicket haul by Jofra Archer saw DC post 188/5 in 20 overs as Abishek Porel (49) narrowly missed out on a half-century. Chasing 189, RR reached 188/4 in 20 overs, courtesy of half-centuries from Nitish Rana (51) and Jaiswal (51) and Super Over was enforced. The Super Over began with RR reached 11/2 and then DC cruised to 13/0.