At the IPL auction 2024 in Dubai, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid an incredible ₹20.5 crore for Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins, setting a new record for the most expensive player in the league’s history. However, Cummins had no idea that his achievement would only last an hour as Mitchell Starc, his Australian teammate, defeated him.
Expected to make a lot of money, the left-arm quick lived up to the hype as he scored an incredible ₹24.75 crore against Kolkata Knight Riders. This is Starc’s second spell with the two-time IPL winners after playing for them back in 2015.
Surreal 🫣
INR 24.75 Crore 💰#KKR fans, make way for Mitchell Starc who's ready to bowl in 💜💛#IPLAuction | #IPL pic.twitter.com/E6dfoTngte
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 19, 2023
Starc was always going to be among the most significant and eye-catching buys. Starc has reportedly received offers from as many as five franchisees as soon as he entered the bidding process.
To put things in perspective, the Kolkata Knight Riders raised many eyebrows heads with their offer to acquire Mitchell Starc, spending 25% of their total budget on the player.
The Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians both made bids for Mitchell Starc, but as the bidding war heated up, the two powerhouses were forced to withdraw owing to financial restrictions. The Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders joined in on the action and went big as the numbers went beyond what was reasonable.
The price range for each bid exceeded Rs 20 crore, thus Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders took extended breaks to consider each one. Finally, the gun pacer was purchased by KKR for an incredible amount.