There was an anticipated buzz around Mitchell Starc in the IPL auction. In the end, it was history in the making. Mitchell Starc is the costliest player in the history of IPL at Rs.24.75 crores. KKR went all out to acquire the star bowler from Australia in a bidding war with Gujrat Titans.
The IPL 2024 auction has rewritten the rules of cricket. This year, we saw franchisees going all-out for the players they wanted. Many teams were in the fray for Mitchell Starc. Mumbai Indians dropped out after the bid crossed 6.5 crores, and DC dropped after 9.4 crores.
Enters Gujarat Titans, who countered every bid till they felt that it was disrupting their overall team formation plans. There was applause and cheer from the public who witnessed the auction.
Mitchell Starc comes back to the IPL after a self-imposed hiatus. He played for the RCB in 2015. He was acquired by KKR in 2018 but missed the IPL due to injuries. Mitchell Starc’s decision to return to IPL was big news for the fans who looked forward to the auction.
Cricket fans were looking forward to the bidding war for Mitchell Starc. The auction had already seen a record when SRH acquired Pat Cummins for Rs.20.5 crores. All IPL teams were making a beeline for Australian players. Travis Head was another hot property expected to set the auction alight.
KKR fans will pray that Mitchell Starc remains injury-free
Starc has a decent record in the IPL. He has 34 wickets in 24 matches in the two seasons(2014-15) he played for RCB.
Fans of KKR will pray that Starc remains injury-free and fit for the entire tournament. Fitness issues have been why he has avoided the IPL for the last eight years. He feared an interruption in his national team role due to the rigors of the IPL. Let us wait and watch.
Till then, let Mitchell Starc enjoy his champagne.
“Nothing that I could’ve ever imagined’ – Starc reacts to becoming the costliest IPL auction buy,”