Yes, fast bowlers were supposed to the hot properties at the IPL 2024 Auction. But nobody would have thought in their wildest dreams that it could breach Rs 20 Crore mark. Yet, it was breached twice on Tuesday in Dubai with KOlkata Knight Riders breaking the bank for Mitchell Starc, paying Rs 24.75 Crore shortly after Pat Cummins was sold for Rs 20.50 Cr to Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR CEO Venky Mysore has now explained the reason behind that.
“Trying to catch my breath. Once the hammer comes down. I asked somebody what was the price because it doesn’t matter. At the end of the auction, all 10 teams are going to walk out spending their purse. We are delighted that we have the player we wanted. Price becomes most immaterial after the hammer comes down,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore explained.
The Australian World Cup winner will be back in IPL 2024 after an eight-year absence. And even though Starc did put his name in 2016, with injuries he missed out. Now, he is back and KKR did not want to miss out on him again.
We missed Starc in 2016 but injuries are part and parcel of an athlete’s career. We are delighted to have him back. He is more accomplished across formats, he will fit in very well for us,” Mysore added.
With that, Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in IPL history, shattering records. While many would say, KKR overpaid for the player, Venky Mysore did not mind spending monster money.
“When IPL started in 2008, the total purse was 20 crore each. Things have changed now. But our view is, all 10 teams are going to come out spending 100 Cr. We are happy that we have the player we wanted. It will be exciting to see him run down the Eden Gardens,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said.
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