Hold onto your seats! The recent IPL 2024 auction saw pace bowlers cashing in big time. Pat Cummins took the spotlight, breaking records with a jaw-dropping INR 50-crore bid! That’s even more than the hefty INR 48.1 crore Yuvraj Singh earned in previous auctions.
Also Read: Best Games that Pay Real Money in 2024
Sunrisers Hyderabad broke a big record! They spent more money than ever before in the IPL auction. They used INR 20.5 crore (about USD 2.47 million) to get Pat Cummins. This amount is more than what Punjab Kings spent last year on Sam Curran. And that amount was INR 18.5 crore (around USD 2.2 million). This made Pat Cummins the most expensive player in IPL history!
Exceeding Expectations
Hold your breath because there’s more! Mitchell Starc outdid Cummins by a mile! Kolkata Knight Riders went out of control, using up INR 24.75 crores (roughly USD 2.98 million) for this left-arm pacer. To give you an idea, both Aussies pocketed more than the INR 20 crore that Chennai Super Kings snagged for winning the previous season.
Aussie Dominance
The combined spending on Cummins and Starc reached an eye-watering INR 45.25 crore (around USD 5.4 million). That’s nearly 20% of what all ten teams splurged on that day! Looks like the Aussies ruled the bidding battlefield.
Indian Talent and Shockers
In the midst of the frenzy, Indian player Harshal Patel stole some thunder. Kings went all-in, pouring in INR 11.75 crore (about USD 1.41 million) for him. What’s intriguing? He was the only Indian player among the six to breach the INR 10 crore mark.
Read More: Paisa Kamane Wala App 2024
Wow! Daryl Mitchell landed an impressive deal at the IPL auctions. Being the third-highest bid of INR 14 crores. This made him to become the second-most expensive New Zealand player in the IPL history. This astonishing achievement solidifies Mitchell’s position as a formidable force in the league, marking a significant milestone in his career trajectory.
KKR: Strategic Spending
KKR arrived at the auction with a purse of INR 32.7 crore (USD 3.9 million approx.), yet they splurged 75.69% of it on Mitchell Starc alone. Interestingly, this move allowed them to secure more players at their base price compared to other teams. Before Starc, their bids for Rovman Powell and Chris Woakes remained unsuccessful.
Unique Strategy Compared to Others
Among the teams, only KKR went beyond buying five players at their base price. In contrast, Gujarat Titans, with eight purchases, had only two at base price. They invested significantly in players like Spencer Johnson, Shahrukh Khan, Robin Minz, and Sushant Mishra, with bids at least ten times their base price. Such high-value picks were rare among other teams.
Dominance of Pace Bowlers
Out of the 72 players sold, a staggering 36 were either bowlers or all-rounders specializing in pace. These players commanded a massive sum of INR 154.5 crore (USD 18.5 million approx.), constituting about two-thirds of the total expenditure. Notably, 20 of these players specifically identified themselves as specialist pace bowlers, accumulating INR 88.85 crore (USD 10.6 million approx.).
International Impact
The auction witnessed the supremacy of overseas pace bowlers, with ten out of the 20 specialists being foreigners. Franchises allocated a significant sum of INR 66.15 crore (USD 7.9 million approx.) to these international pace bowlers. Impressively, six of them received bids exceeding INR 4 crore (USD 481,015 approx.), while only three Indian pace bowlers achieved the same.
Pace vs. Spin: The Preference
In the IPL auctions, spin-specialist players didn’t quite catch the eye of franchises. Out of the players sold, only 16 were tagged as all-rounders or spin-bowling bowlers. What’s surprising is that ten of these skilled individuals were snapped up at their base price of INR 20 lakh (about USD 24,050 each). Shahrukh Khan managed to secure INR 7.4 crore.
Teams spent INR 31.05 crore (USD 3.7 million approx.) on eight Indian capped players in the recent auction. But most of that money, a huge amount of 11.75 crore (USD 1.4 million approx.), went to Harshal Patel.
While only two other capped Indians fetched bids over INR 5 crore (USD 6 million approx.), an impressive five uncapped players achieved the same feat. In total, a substantial sum of INR 48.4 crore (USD 5.8 million approx.) was spent on 34 uncapped Indian players.
Unprecedented Bids for Newcomers
Among these uncapped players, Sameer Rizvi stood out, snagging a bid of 8.4 crore (USD 1 million approx.) from CSK. Rizvi’s bid ties the record for the highest amount ever offered to a player who wasn’t capped or previously played in the IPL. This ties with Varun Chakravarthy’s bid in 2019. Kumar Kushagra’s 7.2 crore bid shares the fourth spot on this list. Riley Meredith claims the third spot with an 8 crore in the2021 season.
Cummins and Unadkat: Auction Milestones
Pat Cummins made history by being the first player to gather bids surpassing the INR 50-crore mark. His remarkable journey hit its sixth successful auction, totaling a whopping 54.15 crores, which outshone Yuvraj Singh’s 48.1 crores amassed across six auctions. This groundbreaking achievement solidified Cummins’ position in IPL auction history, setting a new bar for players aiming high.
Starc’s Worth and Unadkat’s Ongoing Saga
Mitchell Starc’s record bid propelled his total auction bids to 39.15 crore, securing the sixth-highest position among all players. Impressively, only 11 players, until the 2023 auction, had amassed more total bids than Starc’s single auction price of 24.75 crore on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Jaydev Unadkat, a familiar IPL figure, was picked for the 12th time. His consistent presence spanned from the 2021 season, missing only two auctions – in 2012 and 2021 – due to previous franchise retentions.
Unadkat’s New Home and Potential Record
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s recent addition of Unadkat for 1.6 crore (about USD 192,406) welcomed him into the squad of his eighth IPL team. Should Unadkat step onto the field for Sunrisers, he’ll join an exclusive group, becoming just the second player to have played for eight different IPL teams. Aaron Finch holds the record, having been part of nine teams during his IPL journey. Unadkat’s potential debut could mark a milestone in his IPL career, showcasing his adaptability across multiple franchises.
