(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] In a historic bid, Australia fast-bowler Mitchell Starc bagged an INR 24.75 crore deal, becoming the costliest player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
While it was already expected that Starc due to his success in the recently-concluded ODI World Cup would attracted the most interest by teams in the IPL 2024 auction, things took an unexpected turn when he broke the record of the highest bid ever.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired his services for INR 24.75 crore. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) started the bidding war for the pacer but pulled out near the 10 crore-mark due to limited purse. Gujarat Titans (GT) and KKR took over from there but eventually, the latter signed Starc.
Interestingly, Starc’s teammate and World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20.50 crore, who for a brief period held the record of being the most expensive IPL player.
Starc last played in the IPL in 2015 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He decided to put his name in the auction as a T20 World Cup is coming up shortly after the upcoming IPL season.
With KKR having an inexperienced pace-bowling line-up, Starc will lead their attack.