In a landmark IPL 2024 auction on Tuesday, Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins created history by breaking the INR 20-crore mark. Sunrisers Hyderabad secured Pat Cummins for a whopping INR 20.5 crore, surpassing the previous record held by Sam Curran at INR 18.5 crore. However, the spotlight quickly shifted to Mitchell Starc, who became the most expensive IPL player ever, fetching an astounding INR 24.75 crores from Kolkata Knight Riders.
The combined total spent on the Australian duo reached INR 45.25 crore, making up 19.64% of the total spending by all franchises. To put this into perspective, their earnings exceeded the prize money of INR 20 crore received by Chennai Super Kings for winning the previous season.
| Country | Players | Total Value (in INR Cr) |
| India | 42 | 79.45 |
| Australia | 6 | 68.05 |
| England | 6 | 13.1 |
| West Indies | 4 | 21.15 |
| South Africa | 4 | 14 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 17.8 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 10.9 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 4 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 2 |
KKR, with a salary purse of INR 32.7 crore, went all-in by spending 75.69% of its budget on Starc alone. This strategic move influenced them to acquire more players at their base price compared to other teams. Harshal Patel emerged as the highest-bid Indian player at INR 11.75 crore, the lone Indian among the six players with bids over INR 10 crore.
Daryl Mitchell secured the third-highest bid, with CSK spending INR 14 crores on the New Zealand all-rounder. KKR’s aggressive approach stood out, with no team other than them buying more than five players at their base price.
IPL 2024 Player Auction
| Team | Total Buys | Base Price Buys | 10x Base Price Buys |
| Chennai Super Kings | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Delhi Capitals | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| Gujarat Titans | 8 | 2 | 4 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Mumbai Indians | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Punjab Kings | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Pace bowlers dominated the auction, with 36 out of 72 players listed as bowlers or pace-bowling all-rounders. Overseas pace bowlers, in particular, commanded high bids, with ten of the 20 specialist pace bowlers being foreigners.
Surprisingly, spinners received less attention, with only 16 players listed as all-rounders and bowlers with spin roles. Shahrukh Khan was the only spinner to cross the INR 3-crore mark, selling for INR 7.4 crore.
First-time entrants earned substantial amounts, with the franchises spending INR 31.05 crore on eight Indian-capped players. Harshal Patel accounted for a significant share, securing a bid of INR 11.75 crore.
Uncapped players also made their mark, with five earning bids of INR 5 crore or more. Sameer Rizvi emerged as the top uncapped player, bought for INR 8.4 crore by CSK.
Pat Cummins, with bids across all IPL auctions, crossed the INR 50-crore mark, a first in IPL history. Mitchell Starc’s record sum on Tuesday took his total IPL auction tally to INR 39.15 crores.
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In another storyline, Jaydev Unadkat, a familiar face at IPL auctions, was sold for the 12th time, joining Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1.6 crore. If Unadkat plays for Sunrisers, he will become the second player to represent eight different franchises in the IPL, following Aaron Finch.
