New Delhi: World Cup-winning Australian pacer Mitchell Starc became the costliest player of the Indian Premier League Tuesday after being snapped up for Rs 24.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
KKR broke the bank for Starc at the premier league’s mini auction in Dubai where 10 franchises were expected to spend over Rs 262 crore to pick 77 players from a pool of 332.
The Rs 20-crore mark was crossed for the first time on the same day when bowler Pat Cummins, who captained the 2023 World Cup-winning Australian team, was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.50 crore.
Among other top buys were New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, who went for Rs 14 crore to Chennai Super Kings, and Indian right-arm seamer Harshal Patel, bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 11.75 crore.
Starc, 33, returns to IPL after eight years, having initially stayed away for national duties. His return in 2018 – also bought by KKR for Rs 9.40 crore – was aborted due to a fracture in his right tibial bone.
The player, who went under the gavel Tuesday with a base price of Rs 2 crore, first triggered a bidding war between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans joined in to take his value above Rs 20 crore, before KKR bagged him for the record price.
The Australian ace bowler has previously played two seasons in the IPL, both with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In 2014, he claimed 14 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 28.71. The following year, Starc did better, amassing 20 wickets in 13 matches with an average of just 14.55. He achieved his best figures of 4 for 15 during the 2015 season.
Starc has shone in the recently-concluded ODI World Cup, scalping 16 wickets in 10 matches.
The left-armer was also the fastest bowler in the history of ODI cricket to reach 150 and 200 wickets – in 77 and 102 matches respectively. A staple in Australia’s armoury for over a decade, Starc was also the fastest bowler in cricket world cups to reach 50 wickets, in just 19 matches.
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