The IPL 2024 auction once again stood out as the trendsetter for its enchanting way of proceeding with things. Not once but twice the record for the most expensive player in the IPL auction was smashed. For the first time in 17 seasons, a bid crossed the barricade of 20-crore mark.
On a day when 332 players were set to go under the hammer, the overseas players attracted massive bids with many World Cup-winning stars buzzing around the corner. Just 21 players were sold ahead of the lunch break.
Let’s take a look at the three most expensive players who pursued the IPL teams to break the bank for their valuable services.
Read this also : IPL Auction 2024: Full list of players of all 10 teams
3. Sam Curran
The England all-rounder stunned the world when he bagged a whopping sum of INR 18.50 crore (£1.85m) to emerge as the most expensive player in the history of the league. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the initial bidders for Sam Curran before the latter pulled out once the bids crossed the 6.5 crore mark.
Soon Rajasthan Royals showed interest in the England youngster and were successful in forcing out the five-time IPL champions out of the race at 11.50 crore. But that wasn’t it, Chennai Super Kings wouldn’t let the Royals take the pie so easily. The Yellow Army took the Royals for the next couple of minutes before they backed out once the bids surpassed 13 crore.
The twist wasn’t over with Punjab Kings throwing its hat in the ring. The Punjab team management stood tall against not one but three other contenders with Lucknow Super Giants trying their luck and Mumbai Indians returning in the bids in the final stage. In a dramatic bidding, Punjab sealed the deal for the English all-rounder.
2. Pat Cummins
Just after leading Australia to retain the Ashes 2023 in England and win their sixth men’s ODI World Cup in India, Pat Cummins had another good news to culminate his 2023. The Australian pacer bagged a jackpot of INR 20.50 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 auction, becoming the first player in history to allure ceaseless bids from four teams.
Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad showed interest in the Aussie frontline pacer. RCB and SRH fought tooth and nail to ensure Cummins ended up in their squad for the next IPL season, but the latter was the one to have the last laugh.
Cummins was the most expensive player of the IPL 2020 auction, with Kolkata Knight Riders acquiring his services for INR 15.50 crore.
1. Mitchell Starc
Moments after SRH secured Pat Cummins’ lucrative deal, it seemed there wouldn’t be another tussle by teams for any particular player in a similar fashion. It only exceeded expectations when Mitchell Starc’s name was announced by the auctioneer.
This was a player who preferred playing international cricket over T20 cricket, especially the longer versions of the game. The lanky pacer last played in an IPL season in 2015 when he was with the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore. He registered his name in IPL’s annual auction after five years.
Would any team want to miss such an ideal opportunity? The answer is simply no. The battle for Mitchell Starc can be seen in two intervals – Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders. MI and DC raised the bar, in what was supposed to be a historic auction. Both teams were out of contention in tandem once the bids inched closer to INR 10 crore.
catch live blog of : IPL Mini Auction in Dubai with all players details Bid!
