Australian duo shatter Indian Premier League auction record
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has secured the title of the most expensive in Indian Premier League history as he was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping 24.75 crore Indian rupees (AUD$4.42 million) in this week’s IPL auction.
The astonishing transaction shattered the previous record set on the same day, when fellow Australian quick Pat Cummins was sold for 20.5 crore (AUD$3.66 million) to the Hyderabad Sunrisers. This fee surpassed the 18.15 crore (AUD$3.3 million) paid for England all-rounder Sam Curran in the 2022 auction.
Starc entered the bidding arena during the initial set for fast bowlers, the fourth set of the auction. The tussle for his acquisition initially involved the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. However, the Gujarat Titans and the Kolkata Knight Riders swiftly took control of the battle, emerging as the only franchises with a purse exceeding 30 crore (AUD$5.3 million) at that point. Eventually, the Knight Riders emerged victorious with the highest bid.
Starc was last featured in an IPL auction in 2018, securing a deal with KKR for 9.4 crore, but he couldn’t play that season due to injury. This signing marks his return to the IPL after a hiatus since 2015.
That's a GRAND return to the IPL for Mitchell Starc 😎
DO NOT MISS the record-breaking bid of the left-arm pacer who will feature for @KKRiders 💜💪#IPLAuction | #IPL pic.twitter.com/D1A2wr2Ql3
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 19, 2023
“It was a shock, of course,” Starc said after the furious bidding concluded.
“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.
“Our Test squad WhatsApp group has been going off to say it’s our shout to get dinner next.
“No doubt there’ll be some pressure that comes with the territory, but having the extra experience I have from my last IPL hopefully helps.”
Australia’s ODI World Cup-winning captain and current Test skipper Cummins was in a four-way bidding war between Hyderabad, the Chennai Super Kings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians.
He held the record for the highest bid in IPL history for about an hour before being surpassed by his longtime international teammate.
In addition to Starc and Cummins, another Aussie fast bowler, Spencer Johnson, continued a remarkable rise, earning a seven-figure salary. The Gujarat Titans secured the services of the 28-year-old – who only made his Big Bash League debut for Brisbane Heat last summer – for AUD$1.78 million, making it the sixth-highest bid of the event.
Perth Scorchers’ Jhye Richardson also clinched a contract, joining the Delhi Capitals for AUD$892,000 to cap a highly successful auction for Australian seamers.
Earlier in the day, World Cup hero Travis Head – man of the match in Australia’s semi-final and final triumphs in the India-hosted tournament – was also picked up by the Sunrisers for AUD$1.22 million following a bidding war with the Chennai Super Kings.
“Pumped to be joining SRH for the upcoming IPL season,” Cummins enthused after he was sold.
“I’ve heard a lot about the Orange Army, I’ve played at Hyderabad a few times and always loved it, so can’t wait to get started. Great to see another Aussie in Trav Head over there as well. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun this season, and hopefully plenty of success.”
𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 PAT 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 🧡
Welcome, Cummins! 🫡#HereWeGOrange pic.twitter.com/qSLh5nDbLM
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) December 19, 2023
Ashton Turner was the only other Australian picked up in the auction, with the Scorchers captain to link up with Lucknow Super Giants for AUD$178,000.
The auction also saw IPL deals for another clutch of overseas players who impressed in the recent ODI World Cup in India, including New Zealand duo Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee and Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka.
Blockbusting all-rounder Mitchell was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings for 14 crore (AUD$2.49 million), the third-highest bid of the auction, after intense bidding, while young batting sensation and handy spinner Ravindra secured a deal with CSK for 1.8 crore (AUD$178,000). Mumbai Indians made their first two buys at the auction by signing Coetzee for 5 crore (AUD$890,000) and Madushanka for 4.6 crore (AUD$819,000).
