Mitchell Starc, Australia’s World Cup-winning pacer, became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), after he was bought for Rs 24.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders at the Players Auction earlier this month. Starc became the second player to breach the Rs 20 crore mark during the IPL 2024 auction, following SunRisers Hyderabad’s Rs 20.5 crore bid for Australia captain and star pacer Pat Cummins. Starc, who went into the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore, attracted bids from Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans, but KKR secured his services eventually.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh shared a hilarious meme on Starc’s lucrative IPL deal. In a video shared by Harbhajan, Starc can be summarising his IPL deal in hindi.
At the upcoming season of IPL, Starc will be making a comeback to the tournament after an eight-year hiatus.
Starc last played in IPL for RCB in 2015. He was also bought by KKR during IPL 2018, but the players pulled out of the season, citing personal reasons.
Last week, during the second Test between Australia and Pakistan, Starc completed 650 wickets in international cricket.
After going wicketless in the first innings, Starc was destructive in the second, taking 4/55 in 13.2 overs at an economy rate of 4.10, derailing Pakistan’s 317-run chase with regular wickets.
In 263 international matches, Starc has taken 651 wickets at an average of 25.35, with the best figures of 6/28. He has 23 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls in international cricket. He is Australia’s fourth-highest wicket-taker of all time, with legendary spinner Shane Warne (1,001) at the top.
In 84 Test matches, Starc has taken 342 wickets at an average of 27.53, with the best figures of 6/50. He has 14 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls in Tests. He is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Tests, with Warne (708 wickets) at the top.
Starc has also played 121 ODIs, taking 236 wickets at an average of 22.96, with the best bowling figures of 6/28. He has nine five-wicket hauls in ODIs. He is the fifth-highest wicket-taker for Australia in ODIs, with pacer Glenn McGrath (380) at the top.
(With ANI Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
