The auction 2024 turned out to be historic as a few records were broken on Tuesday and here are the most expensive IPL players in the event. The 10 franchises gathered in Dubai on December 19th to complete their squads for the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
The IPL auction is one of the most anticipated events in the cricket calendar and this one also delivered moments that were simply mind-blowing. The IPL auction 2024 was a huge payday, especially for overseas players. As is the case with every auction, some players were overpriced by a ridiculous margin while some were criminally underpriced.
The 2023 auction was also historic as it witnessed the top three most expensive buys in auction history. Sam Curran held the record for the costliest player in IPL history after being bought by Punjab Kings for INR 18.5 crore. Tuesday's event saw that record getting shattered not once but twice as the teams went all in. Here we bring you a list of the most expensive players in the IPL auction 2024.
IPL teams after auction:Full list of squads for 2024 IPL
Most expensive IPL players in auction 2024
Mitchell Starc – Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 24.75 cr)
The left-arm fast bowler from Australia is one of the biggest names in world cricket. Mitchell Starc last played in the IPL back in 2017 and has since prioritized Test cricket. Despite that and having not played much T20 cricket in recent years, Starc was the most sought-after player and became the most expensive IPL players.
Left-arm seamers generally attract good interest from the IPL franchises due to the unique skill set they bring in. And Mitchell Starc is the best of the lot. When Starc’s name went under the hammer, the IPL had already seen the 20-crore barrier broken. It perhaps made bidding on Starc more justified as he became the most expensive player in IPL history.
Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals got the ball rolling and raised the price to 9.60 crore. Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans, the two teams with the biggest purse available at the time, then went to a bidding war. After a lengthy sequence of back and forth and discussions, Knight Riders finally claimed Starc for a mind-numbing price of INR 24.75 crore.
Incidentally, KKR had bought Starc the last time he was in the auction in 2018 but he opted out due to an injury.
Pat Cummins – Sunrisers Hyderabad (INR 20.50 cr)
Pat Cummins has had an unforgettable year and the IPL auction 2024 adds another ridiculous moment to it as he became the first-ever player to get a 20-crore bid in the tournament history. The Australian World Cup-winning captain broke the record for the most expensive signing in the IPL before Starc surpassed it.
The dynamics of the mini-auction played a huge part here as top-quality players were scarce. Cummins offers an all-round package thanks to his ability to smash pace with the bat. His previous record in the league hasn't been great but he ended up being one of the most expensive IPL players.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings engaged in early bidding before Royal Challengers Bangalore joined in at 5 crore. After CSK gave up at 7.8 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Bangalore locked in for a fierce battle. Hyderabad eventually earned the rights for INR 20.5 crore.
Daryl Mitchell – Chennai Super Kings (INR 14 cr)
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell was the third most expensive player at the IPL auction in 2024, after being bought by Chennai Super Kings for INR 14 crore. The right-hand batter had a fantastic World Cup campaign, where he smashed two centuries against India.
Overall, he has been tremendous across formats and is a pretty good player of spin as well as pace bowling. He can also chip in with a couple of overs. CSK needed a reliable and explosive middle-order batter, and Mitchell fit the bill perfectly.
Delhi Capitals opened the bidding at INR 1 crore and went up against Punjab Kings till 11.50 cr. Chennai then swooped in and secured his services for the next IPL edition. This could be Mitchell’s first full season in the league and Chennai will aim to make the best use of him.
Harshal Patel – Punjab Kings (INR 11.75 cr)
Harshal Patel has become the most expensive Indian player at the IPL 2024 auctions after being bought by Punjab Kings for INR 11.75 crore. The former RCB pacer has had an incredible last three seasons in IPL where he has racked up 65 wickets in 43 matches including a purple cap-winning season in 2021.
Patel, who had his base price set at INR 2 crores managed to draw the big bids – thanks to his exceptional T20 bowling skills and a higher demand for a premium Indian pacer in the market and was one of the most expensive IPL players in history.
Gujarat Titans began the bidding at INR 2 crores and was eventually joined in by the Punjab Kings. The bidding war went till INR 10 crore when Lucknow Super Giants entered the scene, ending up inflating the final price for Punjab Kings.
Harshal’s inclusion in the Punjab Kings’ set-up is a massive boost to the overall skill set of their bowling attack that lacked big time last season.
Alzarri Joseph – Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 11.5 cr)
IPL record holder with the best-ever bowling figures of 3.4-1-12-6, West-Indian speedster Alzarri Joseph is all set to join the action in 2024 wearing the RCB red and gold for a whooping sum of INR 11.5 crore.
Royal Challengers Bangalore made Alzarri Joseph the centre of their attention once their earlier bids for Pat Cummins fell through. Desperate for a marquee overseas bowler, RCB had to survive a fierce bidding war against Lucknow Super Giants to secure their man.
Chennai Super Kings started the bidding for Joseph at the base price of INR 1 crore after which Delhi Capitals joined in and the bidding battle continued till INR 2.80 crore where the Super Kings checked out. Lucknow, then, joined in the tussle with Capitals who themselves decided not to carry on once the bids had risen above INR 6.60 crore.
Alzarri Joseph was recently involved in the first three T20Is against England where he picked up six wickets with best bowling figures of 3 for 39. Given the rest of the bowling attack, RCB will expect big things from Alzarri and he was the fifth-highest most expensive IPL players.
