Australian cricket team fast bowler Mitchell Starc made history by becoming the most expensive buy in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for a massive amount of Rs 24.75 crore. Starc sparked a massive bidding war between KKR and Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024 Auction with KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir having the final laugh. Following the record-breaking move, KKR released a video on social media with the first reaction of the veteran Australia pacer.
“Hey, KKR fans; I'm thrilled to be joining the team for this year's IPL. And I can't wait to get to Eden Gardens to experience the home fans, the home crowd and the atmosphere. I look forward to seeing you then. Ami KKR,” Starc said in a video uploaded on X (formerly called Twitter).
Such are the unpredictable ways of IPL that the one third of the formidable Australian pace trio, Josh Hazlewood, went unsold in the first round of auction from a base price of Rs 2 crore.
"It's been a little while since I've been involved, but I'm really excited to get my name in the auction and to be joining KKR this upcoming season. So, yeah, thrilled to be joining," Starc said, opening up on the record-breaking move to the Knight Riders in a chat with Jio Cinema.
"Yeah, it was a shock, if you call it. But, my wife, Alyssa Healy, is actually over in India with the women's team," Starc added.
"And I think their coverage was slightly ahead of mine in Australia. So I was getting updates before I could see it on the screen. So, yeah, just as I said, pretty well, surprised, but, thrilled to be back involved in the IPL this coming season. And, yeah, really excited to be joining KKR," said Starc.
Gujarat Titans and KKR were involved in a long and exhilarating bidding battle for Starc before the latter lapped him up for a record deal.
Starc, 33, has usually prioritised international duty over IPL but decided to enter the auction with one eye on the T20 World Cup that follows the IPL.
He has only played only two seasons of the IPL, taking 34 wickets in 27 games at an average of 20.38.
In contrast, Cummins has been a regular at the IPL but skipped the 2023 edition to focus on the Ashes and the ODI World Cup.
An intense bidding war followed for Cummins with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad raising their paddles frenetically to secure the services of the fast bowling all-rounder.
In the end, it was SRH who broke the bank for Cummins, who drew the highest-ever bid surpassing the Rs 18.5 crore that Punjab Kings had shelled out for England's Sam Curran last year.
(With PTI inputs)