Australian left arm pacer Mitchell Starc made history by becoming the most expensive player in the history of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Australian speedster was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a massive amount of Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction on Tuesday.
While several fans and experts expressed their surprise over the move, KKR CEO Venky Mysore justified the price tag. As per Mysore, the Australian speedster was a preferred player from skill-set standpoint.
“Obviously Starc was a preferred player from skill set standpoint. Initially, we were not successful in some of the bids. Maybe that worked in our favour, because we did end up having money to do this. So we are just thankful that we were able to have him on our side,” said Mysore during an interaction.
“It shows the value of the player and the skill set Starc possesses. He is a fabulous player. Spending on a particular player is a matter of perspective and each franchise decides how to slice its purse differently. Now it seems like wow, Rs 24.75. I was telling someone that the salary cap of a team when IPL started in 2008 was Rs 20 crore. So things have changed. When the auction is over, all the 10 teams are going to walk out having spent 100 crores and each team decides to slice it differently,” he added.