Win Projections to be updated soon
The ten franchises seized the opportunity to rebuild their teams in time for the competition, with the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction being their best chance to do so. A lot of people watched the business event after the 2023 World Cup, where 333 players were auctioned off.
A few players with diligence and tenacity among the 333 names in the auction were rewarded with large sums of money. They will have to defend their price tags while supporting their respective teams in the forthcoming competition. Following the conclusion of the auction, let’s take a quick look at five names who made headlines for being the most costly participants in the business spectacular.
In the 2024 IPL auction, the following five players went for the highest price:
1. Mitchell Starc
After being traded to KKR for an incredible INR 24.75 crore, Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in IPL history. Following the arrival of Knight Riders and GT, the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Washington Capitals (DC) decided to end their bidding war for Starc.
After defeating the Titans, the two-time IPL champions KKR eventually acquired the Australian paceman at a steep cost. Kolkata will look to Starc to lead their speed attack and be a remarkable ball handler for his first IPL game in nine years. With two impressive bowling performances in the 2023 World Cup and 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) finals, the 33-year-old is in excellent form this year.
He took three wickets against South Africa and the host India in the ODI extravaganza’s knockout matches, helping his team to emphatic wins. In 27 matches, the veteran has claimed 34 wickets at an economical economy of 7.17, according to his IPL statistics. With 20 wickets at an economy of 6.76 in 13 matches while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2015, he was the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the competition.
2. Alzarri Joseph
After the Gujarat Titans (GT) rejected West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph in November, he put himself up for auction to buy a new franchise in the IPL. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bid war ultimately resulted in him receiving INR 11.50 crore, whereas his maximum reserved amount was INR 2 crore.
The challengers won this war since they were able to obtain the Caribbean bowler for a substantial sum. Recently, in the present home series against England, Joseph has radiated confidence with the ball. He has claimed six wickets in three games during the five-match T20 International (T20I) series.
He will support the team’s fast-bowling unit in the RCB squad by taking Josh Hazlewood’s place as an Australian pacer. He would have to work extremely hard with the ball alongside Mohammed Siraj, the speedster from India, as an accomplished international player.
3. Harshal Patel
The most expensive Indian player in the auction was Harshal Patel, the speedster from India. In order to get him for the 2024 season, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) paid an enormous sum of INR 11.75 crore. Gujarat Titans (GT), the 2022 champions, and LSG also made bids for him.
With his vast experience, Patel will bring experience to the PBKS team. He has taken 111 wickets at an economy of 8.59 in 91 games over his 11-year IPL career. In 15 games, he took 32 wickets for RCB in 2021, making him share the season’s top wicket-taker title with Dwayne Bravo of CSK.
To strengthen Punjab’s pace attack, the 33-year-old will support young, gifted pacers Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran. After missing out on the playoffs in 2014, PBKS will try to battle the other nine teams in 2024 and win the prized trophy for the first time.
4. Daryl Mitchell
Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand was the fifth-leading run scorer in the 2023 World Cup after playing with discipline with the bat. CSK, Punjab Kings (PBKS), and DC pursued him in the auction after his incredible batting performance.
Ultimately, CSK prevailed in the bidding battle, securing the Kiwi icon’s services for the forthcoming season for a whopping INR 14 crore. After two years, Mitchell will return to the lucrative league. He made his IPL debut in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) shirt back in 2022; however, he was limited in his batsmanship.
In his two Royals games, he scored a pitiful average of 16.50 and only 33 runs. The teams passed over the right-handed batter in the 2023 auction, but he managed to secure a huge deal this time around. Mitchell, who signed for a hefty fee, will want to use his extraordinary batting ability to dominate bowlers.
5. Pat Cummins
Australia’s Test and One-Day International (ODI) captain Pat Cummins was the focus of attention during the auction, as he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for an incredible INR 20.50 crore. The Australian quickly overtook England all-rounder Sam Curran to take the top spot as the most expensive player in the IPL. Up until his countryman Mitchell Starc received an enormous sum with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he owned the tag.
In a close struggle to sign the star Australian player, the Sunrisers defeated RCB at the auction table. The World Test Championship (WTC) and the 2023 World Cup saw Cummins exhibit brilliant bowling and captaincy, which enabled him to secure the hefty deal. The 30-year-old will assist Umran Malik and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in strengthening the SRH fast-bowling squad for the forthcoming competition.
SRH finished bottom in the points standings, behind Aiden Markram, in the previous IPL season. Since Cummins has helped his country win a few International Cricket Council (ICC) championships, the Hyderabad-based newspaper may bet on him to captain the side this time.
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