Mitchell Starc. PTI file
Dubai, December 19
Mitchell Starc surpassed his Australian bowling partner Pat Cummins to become the most expensive buy in IPL history with an eye popping bid of Rs 24.75 crore as pacers raked in the big moolah at the auction here on Tuesday.
Not long after Cummins fetched an unprecedented pay packet of Rs 20.50 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Starc raised the bar when Kolkata Knight Riders made a multi-million dollar bid for the left-arm pacer, who last played in the IPL in 2015.
Starc's payout was significantly more than Sam Curran got last year when Punjab Kings paid a then record Rs 18.50 crore for the England all-rounder.
Such are the unpredictable ways of IPL that one third of the formidable Australian pace trio, Josh Hazlewood, went unsold in the first round of auction from a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Gujarat Titans and KKR were involved in a long and exhilarating bidding battle for Starc before the latter lapped him up for a record deal.
Starc, 33, has usually prioritised international duty over IPL but decided to enter the auction with one eye on the T20 World Cup that follows the IPL.
He has played only two seasons of the IPL, taking 34 wickets in 27 games at an average of 20.38.
In contrast, Cummins has been a regular at the IPL but skipped the 2023 edition to focus on the Ashes and the ODI World Cup.
An intense bidding war followed for Cummins with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad raising their paddles frenetically to secure the services of the fast bowling all-rounder.
In the end, it was SRH who broke the bank for Cummins. It was not the first time that Cummins attracted huge sums at the IPL auction.
Ahead of the 2020 edition, KKR had paid Rs 15.5 crore for his services.
Starc, however, was shocked after making history on Tuesday. “It was a shock, of course. My wife Alyssa (Healy) is with the women's team in India so she was getting updates quicker than what I was seeing on screen. Surprised but thrilled,” Starc told the host broadcaster.
On staying away from the IPL, he added: “Been a while, yes. I've been involved with RCB in 2014-15, then picked up by KKR in 2018 but got injured. But I've been prioritising international cricket and Test cricket for Australia.
“Coming into the back end of this year and next year, it's much quieter for Australia as a group so excited to be involved.”
Among the fast bowlers, the others who broke the bank were Harshal Patel (Rs 11.75 crore to Punjab Kings), Alzarri Joseph (Rs 11.50 crore to RCB), Umesh Yadav (Rs 5.80 crore to Gujrat Titans) and Shivam Mavi (Rs 6.40 crore to LSG).
Harshal, who was released by RCB ahead of the auction, remains a sought after player with Punjab Kings going the distance for the out-of-favour India pacer.
In the batters category, Daryl Mitchell had a massive payday with Chennai Super Kings spending Rs 14 crore for the New Zealand batter.
SRH grabbed World Cup final hero Travis Head for Rs 6.80 crore.
Head, who scored a match-winning century in the ODI World Cup final against India and also starred in the World Test Championship final against the Rohit Sharma-led team earlier this year, saw reigning champions Chennai Super Kings and SRH indulge in a bidding war.
The wicketkeeper batter finally went to 2016 champions SRH.
New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra, with a base price of Rs 50 lakh, was snapped by CSK for a modest Rs 1.8 crore. Ravindra was another star of the recently held ODI World Cup in India.
West Indies T20 skipper Rovman Powell emerged as the costliest player among capped batters, going to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 7.40 crore.
Powell, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, was the first player to go under the hammer at the mini auction and as many as three teams showed keen interest to rope him in for the 2024 season.
Eventually, Rajasthan Royals got their hands on the big hitter, who also captains their team Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The trio of former Australia skipper Steve Smith, India's Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw went unsold, while England's Harry Brook was snapped by Delhi Capitals for Rs 4 crore.
Young South Africa pacer Gerald Coetzee attracted a winning bid of Rs 5 crore from Mumbai Indians while India pacer Shardul Thakur returned to CSK for Rs 4 crore.
Uncapped Sameer Rizvi gets life-changing deal
The auction often rewards the uncapped Indian cricketers with life changing contracts and it was no different on Tuesday.
Sameer Rizvi, the 20-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, was recruited by Chennai Super Kings for as much as Rs 8.40 crore.
He is known for his six hitting abilities on the domestic circuit. His performances in the UP T20 league and U-23 went a long way in getting him a coveted contract at CSK.
Another hard hitting batter, Kumar Kushagra, went for big money as Delhi Capitals spent Rs 7.20 crore for the 20-year-old.
19:30 19 Dec
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc says he did not even dream of getting sold for Rs 24.75 crore and admits that the huge price tag would bring in some pressure on him.
19:09 19 Dec
Vidarbha all-rounder Shubham Dubey was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 5.80 crore while Chennai Super Kings bagged Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Sameer Rizvi for Rs 8.40 crore.
19:01 19 Dec
Gujarat Titans snapped uncapped batter Shahrukh Khan for Rs 7.40 crore, while Delhi Capitals get Jharkhands's young batter Kumar Kushagra for whopping Rs 7.20 crore.
18:47 19 Dec
West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 11.50 crore.
18:10 19 Dec
Former India captain Anil Kumble believes Australia's World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins received an unexpectedly high price of Rs 20.50 crore at the IPL auction for his leadership skills. Read More
14:48 19 Dec
New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell goes to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14 crore in IPL Auction in Dubai.
14:42 19 Dec
Chennai Super Kings bought New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra for Rs 1.8 Cr as Shardul Thakur comes back to CSK for Rs 4 Cr in the second round of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction. The Kiwi youngster had a base price of Rs. 50 Lakh. CSK initiated the bidding, with Delhi Capitals stepping in, pushing the price beyond Rs. 1 Crore. Punjab Kings entered at Rs. 1.10 Cr. Eventually, CSK, leading the bid, secured Ravindra for Rs 1.8 crore.
The India all-rounder Shardul Thakur came entered the auction with a base price of Rs 2 Crore. Chennai started the bidding, and Sunrisers Hyderabad later joined. Initially, SRH backed out at Rs 3.20 Cr but later re-entered the bid. Chennai persisted and secured the player for Rs 4.00 Crore. Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this year got signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 1.50 crore.
13:42 19 Dec
Australia batter Travis Head sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 6.80 crore at IPL auction in Dubai.
13:35 19 Dec
West Indies batter Rovman Powell goes to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 7.40 crore at IPL auction in Dubai, Delhi Capitals takes Harry Brook for 4 crore
11:49 19 Dec
Mallika Sagar who recently hosted the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction will be the auctioneer instead of Hugh Edmeades. Sagar also became the first woman auctioneer in the last 16 years of IPL history.
11:48 19 Dec
In the upcoming auction, South Africa's 17-year-old Kwena Maphaka will be the youngest player to take part in the auction. Meanwhile, 38-year-old batting allrounder Mohammad Nabi from Afghanistan will be the oldest cricketer to take part in the auction.
Players like England's Rehan Ahmed, Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed, and Shariful Islam have opted out of the IPL 2024 auction at the last moment.
11:45 19 Dec
Franchises are coming into the bidding war with lots of cash in their purse. Chennai Super Kings (Rs31.4 crores), Mumbai Indians (Rs17.75 crores), Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs23.25 crore), Kolkata Knight Riders (Rs32.7 crores), Gujarat Titans (Rs38.15 crores), Sunrisers Hyderabad (Rs34 crores), Delhi Capitals ( Rs28.95 crores), Punjab Kings ( Rs29.1 crores), Lucknow Super Giants (13.15 crore) and Rajasthan Royals (Rs14.5 crores) will spend their remaining amount to fill their last slots in their squad.
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.
Most Read In 24 Hours
Don't Miss
View All
Top News
FIR filed against Delhi CM Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar in Swati Maliwal ‘assault’ case
The case was registered after Maliwal filed a multiple-page ...
ED can’t arrest PMLA accused without court’s nod after filing of complaint, rules Supreme Court
The verdict comes on a petition filed by one Tarsem Lal chal...
No exception made in granting interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal, critical analysis of verdict welcome: Supreme Court
The bench refuses to consider claims and counter-claims by a...
Heatwave alert for northwest India; mercury may hit 45 degrees Celsius in Delhi
A fresh heatwave spell will also commence over east and cent...
'INDIA alliance my brainchild, very much part of it', says Mamata Banerjee after 'outside support' remark
TMC had walked out of INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January
