Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins became the most expensive players in IPL history on Tuesday.
Starc, who last played in the IPL eight years ago, made a smashing comeback when he was snapped up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for 247.5-million rupees (R55-million/$2.98 million), setting an all-time IPL auction record.
“We won, Mr Starc!” the franchise posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Starc (33) broke the record set by Cummins earlier in the day when Sunrisers Hyderabad paid 205-million rupees (R45.7-million/$2.47-million) for the World Cup-winning captain.
Before Tuesday, England all-rounder Sam Curran was the most expensive player after being bought for $2.23-million last year by the Punjab Kings.
“Pumped to be joining SRH for the upcoming IPL season,” Cummins, who skipped this year’s IPL because of a packed calendar, said in a video posted by the franchise on social media. “I have played in Hyderabad a few times and always loved it so can’t wait to get started.”
Hyderabad beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a fervent bidding session for Cummins, to claps and cheers from other franchises participating in the auction, held this year in Dubai.
Both Australians were key members of the team that led Australia to ODI World Cup victory in November, beating hosts India in the final at Ahmedabad.
Cummins had silenced a crowd of nearly 100,000 when he bowled out star batsman Virat Kohli, and was widely lauded for leading Australia to the title.
The 30-year-old made a previous auction record of $2.17-million when he signed with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019.
Both Starc and Cummins had entered this auction with a base price of $240,000, the top tier at which players can start the bidding for their services.
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New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was the second-top player at the auction so far, grabbed by the Chennai Super Kings for $1.6-million.
Mitchell (32), was also one of the breakout stars at the World Cup, scoring two centuries against India – in the league stage and in the semi-finals.
West Indies star Rovman Powell went to the Rajasthan Royals for $890,000 and Travis Head of Australia will play for Hyderabad for $818,000.
But up-and-coming New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra failed to arouse much interest, with Chennai paying an underwhelming $216,000 for his services.
More than 300 players were up for grabs at Tuesday’s auction for the glitzy T20 tournament, likely to be held from March next year.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
