Emily
In a groundbreaking turn of events, Australian pace bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins secured positions as the most expensive players in Indian Premier League history on Tuesday. Franchises demonstrated unprecedented spending, investing millions of dollars in their services at the glamorous Twenty20 tournament.
Starc, marking a stunning return after an eight-year hiatus from the IPL, made a remarkable comeback by joining the Kolkata Knight Riders for 247.5 million rupees ($2.98 million), establishing a new record for the highest bid in IPL auction history.
At 33 years old, Starc shattered the record previously set by Cummins earlier that day. Sunrisers Hyderabad secured the World Cup-winning skipper for 205 million rupees ($2.47 million).
Until this significant development, England all-rounder Sam Curran held the title of the most expensive player after being acquired for $2.23 million last year by Punjab Kings.
Expressing his excitement, Cummins, who opted out of this year’s IPL due to a tight schedule, shared his enthusiasm for joining SRH for the upcoming IPL season in a video posted by the franchise on social media.
Both Australians played pivotal roles in the team’s triumph during the ODI World Cup in November, guiding Australia to victory over hosts India in the final at Ahmedabad.
Cummins notably stunned a crowd of nearly 100,000 by dismissing star batsman Virat Kohli with his bowling prowess. His leadership in guiding Australia to clinch the title earned widespread acclaim.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was the third-top player at the auction, grabbed by Chennai Super Kings for $1.6 million.
West Indies star Rovman Powell went to Rajasthan Royals for $890,000 and Travis Head of Australia will play alongside Cummins for Hyderabad after being sold for $818,000.
South African paceman Gerald Coetzee was sold to Mumbai Indians for $602,000.