The imminent arrival of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has fans eagerly preparing to watch one of the most significant T20 league tournaments in international cricket. An exhilarating element of the game is the significant changes that the franchises undergo following an IPL auction.
The 2024 auction proved to be highly satisfying, with numerous franchises spending generously to acquire famous players such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and others in order to secure their services for the IPL 2024. The Kolkata Knight Riders made a significant acquisition in the IPL 2024 auction by securing the services of renowned Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc. The team, which has won the championship twice, acquired the services of Starc in the IPL by purchasing him for a significant amount of ₹24.75 crore.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, however, was dissatisfied with the price tag. The renowned hitter expressed the view that no player justifies such a substantial sum of money, and his asking price was excessively exorbitant.
“Excessively extravagant, to be completely honest.” I believe that no individual is deserving of such a substantial amount of money. If Starc can achieve a significant outcome and emerge victorious in around four out of the 14 matches he participates in, then it may be concluded that his performance justifies the investment. “If he also makes contributions in the other games, it would be truly remarkable,” Gavaskar stated during a conversation with Star Sports.
“He must deliver exceptional bowling performances in a minimum of four out of the 14 matches, particularly in the crucial encounters against the Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings, and RCB, as these three teams possess highly skilled batting lineups.” If you manage to dismiss those teams, you could even argue that you got your money’s worth,” he added.
Starc formerly played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons. During this time, he achieved a total of 34 wickets with an economy rate of 7.17 in the 27 matches he participated in. Nevertheless, since that time, he has not yet participated in the prestigious competition, and he will anticipate that 2024 might be the year for his debut.