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After being paid outrageous sums of money by Kolkata
Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad to secure Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins’
services for the 2024 Indian Premier League, the records were rewritten. An
hour later, Cummins was selected for ₹20.5 crore, becoming the first player to
cross the 20-crore barrier in the 17-year history of IPL auctions. Starc,
purchased by KKR for ₹24.75 crore, became the most expensive player in IPL
history. However, Cummins’ record was short-lived as a furious match between
the Gujarat Titans and KKR drove Starc’s price to an unprecedented height.
Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie expressed mixed
feelings about the outrageous sum of money paid for the Australian quicks,
Spencer Johnson being another quick who was signed by GT for ₹10 crore. Though
he wasn’t completely comfortable with the amount given to the Australian
captain, Gillespie was thrilled for both Starc and Cummins. According to
Gilespie, Cummins might not be the best fast bowler in the game’s shortest
format and is more appropriate for Test cricket.
“Pat’s obviously a quality bowler and a quality
leader, we’ve seen that. I just don’t think T20 is his best format,”
Gillespie told SEN Radio. “I think he’s a Test bowler, personally. I think
Test cricket is his absolute bread and butter.”
A little over an hour after Cummins landed his deal,
Starc surpassed his captain to become the costliest player in the IPL history
as Kolkata Knight Riders spent a mind-boggling ₹24.75 crores for the
left-armer’s services.
“I think he’s a great buy. It’s a lot of money,
we all acknowledge that, but the IPL is a very rich tournament… I’m absolutely
delighted for Mitch.
“I think it just highlights how important teams
value left-arm fast bowling and left-arm swing bowling at pace,” Gillespie
said.