Agency :
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction has begun in Dubai with more than 300 players going under the hammer as the 10 franchises look to strengthen their squads before the upcoming season, which is likely to be held in March next year.
Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman roped in by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at his base price of INR 2 crore as he can participate in the league from March 22 to May 11.
Bangladesh’s Mustafiz, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were set to go under the hammer but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to only give NOC to Mustafizur, while Taskin and Shoriful were denied due to national team duty with the T20 World Cup coming right after the IPL.
Fizz had played for the Delhi Capitals for the last two seasons. Previously he won the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and also played for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins became the most expensive players in Indian Premier League history Tuesday, with franchises dishing out millions of dollars for their services at the glitzy Twenty20 tournament.
Starc, who last played in the IPL eight years ago, made a smashing comeback when he was snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 24.74 crore, setting an all-time IPL auction record.
“We won, Mr Starc!” the franchise posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Starc, 33, broke the record set by Cummins earlier in the day when Sunrisers Hyderabad paid INR 20.50 crore for the World Cup-winning skipper.
Before Tuesday, England all-rounder Sam Curran was the most expensive player after being bought for INR 18.50 crore last year by Punjab Kings.
“Pumped to be joining SRH for the upcoming IPL season,” Cummins, who skipped this year’s IPL because of a packed calendar, said in a video posted by the franchise on social media.
“I have played in Hyderabad a few times and always loved it so can’t wait to get started.”
Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in a fervent bidding session for Cummins, to claps and cheers from other franchises participating in the auction, held this year in Dubai.
Both Australians were key members of the team that led Australia to ODI World Cup victory in November, beating hosts India in the final at Ahmedabad.
Cummins had silenced a crowd of nearly 100,000 when he bowled out star batsman Virat Kohli, and was widely lauded for leading Australia to the title.
Both Starc and Cummins had entered this auction with a base price of INR 2 crore the top tier at which players can start the bidding for their services.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was the third-top player at the auction, grabbed by Chennai Super Kings for INR 14 crore
Mitchell, 32, was also one of the breakout stars at the World Cup, scoring two centuries against India in the group stage and in the semi-final.
