Mitchell Starc has become the costliest player in IPL history.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Bengaluru: The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2024 is over, and now the stage is set for the action to begin.
On a day when 333 players—214 Indians and 119 overseas—went under the hammer at the Coco Cola Arena in Dubai, some players really made mega bucks.
Here we look at five most expensive players of IPL auction 2024:
Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 cr, Kolkata Knight Riders)
The Australian left-arm quick who has not played IPL for may seasons made a welcome return to the cash-rich T20 League after being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a record Rs 24.75 cr. The 33-year-old, who was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad in India last month, is expected to spearhead the KKR bowling attack which has quite often missed a pace bowling powerhouse.
Though Starc, who always gives priority to the national team over franchise-based tournaments, as evident from the fact that he has played only two full seasons of IPL, the genial Aussie has it in him to take KKR to the next level, especially after having become the costliest player in tournament’s history.
Pat Cummins (Rs 20.5 cr, Sunrisers Hyderabad)
It looks as though Cummins was rewarded for leading Australia to World Cup glory in India after initially being signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a record fee before being usurped by Mitchell Starc hours later. Unlike Starc, Cummins has been a regular at IPL, barring the 2023 season which he skipped to prepare for the Ashes series. It helped Cummins’ case that SRH badly needed a quality overseas fast bowler to support the Indian troika of Umran Malik, T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The 30-year-old is deadly when he is in the zone as his spell against India in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad last month proved. And SRH will expect more from the seasoned campaigner as IPL 2024 unfolds.
Daryl Mitchell (Rs 14 cr, Chennai Super Kings)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had no qualms whatsoever in splashing Rs 14 cr to rope in Kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell. Mitchell’s ability to play spin is well known, and that presumably justifies his hefty price tag. The 32-year-old was engaged in a close bidding war between CSK, Punjab Kings, and Delhi Capitals before the Chennai-based franchise got him for a big amount after Mitchell had entered the auction arena at a base price of Rs 1 cr. With Ben Stokes likely to be unavailable next season, CSK needed some quality presence in the middle order, and Mitchell fits that bill.
Harshal Patel (Rs 11.7 cr, Punjab Kings)
Harshal was among the many fast bowlers for whom franchises broke the bank on auction day. Punjab Kings bought for Rs 11.7 cr to become the most expensive Indian buy on auction day. The 33-year-old had a good outing with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 season where he was the highest wicket-taker. Starting with a base price of Rs 2 crore, Patel’s stakes went up as Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans were engaged in a bidding war before the former had the last laugh.
Alzarri Joseph (Rs 11.5 cr, Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Capping a good day for fast bowlers, West Indian quick Alzarri Joseph was snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 11.5 cr, as they fended off stiff challenge from Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants. The 27-year-old former Gujarat Titans player lends a lot of variety to the RCB attack. The Antiguan was one of the key players when Titans won the IPL crown in 2022 and RCB will be hoping that Alzarri replicates that form with them.