Dubai [UAE]: Australian pacer Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore at the auction in Dubai on Tuesday.
Starc has now left behind his skipper Pat Cummins, who was earlier the most expensive player in IPL history with Rs 20.50 crore and was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The pacer started an insane bidding war that lasted for minutes, with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) locking horns first. Once they backed out, Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went ahead with an even bigger bidding war, crossing the Rs 20.50 crore spent by SRH on Cummins. Eventually, GT backed out at Rs 24.75 crore and KKR got Starc for a record-breaking prize.
"The record created not long back is BROKEN! Most expensive player of all time Pat Cummins Mitchell Starc Mitchell Starc is SOLD to #KKR for INR 24.75 Crore #IPLAuction | #IPL," tweeted IPL's official X (Twitter) handle.
https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1737054479713706107
Starc made his return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction after years, having last played in 2015. He has taken 73 wickets in 58 T20Is and is a multi-time World Champion with Australia across all formats. With 647 international wickets in 262 matches, he is among the best fast bowlers of the modern era.
In his IPL career, Starc has 34 wickets to his name in 27 matches he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2014-15.
Earlier, Cummins broke the roof as he became the costliest player in the history of the Indian Premier League when he was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 20.50 crore on Tuesday at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
With a base price of Rs 2 crore, Cummins attracted the attention of Mumbai Indians who entered the bidding war for the first time. As the price continued to rise, MI backed while Royal Challengers Bangalore joined the bidding war against CSK. When it seemed RCB would walk away with the players SRH entered the battle, and a high-bidding war unfolded in the next moments.
As he touched the 20 crore mark, the entire arena cheered and applauded. RCB eventually gave up and SRH acquired the services of the Australian World Cup-winning skipper for Rs 20.50 crore and Cummins became the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.
Earlier, Sam Curran held the record with a price tag of Rs 18.50 crore. He was sold to Punjab Kings back in 2022.
—ANI