Best XI of costliest players in the IPL 2024 auction (Photo Source: Darrian Traynor-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
The IPL 2024 auction concluded with lots of success and money being used up by the 10 franchises. A total of over INR 230 cr was spent by the franchises to acquire 72 players to fill up 77 possible slots. Also, the INR 20 crore barrier was broken twice on that day.
First Pat Cummins with an INR 20.50 cr bid by Sunrisers Hyderabad and then Mitchell Starc with KKR’s winning bid of INR 24.75 cr broke records of being the most expensive buys ever in IPL auction history, bettering Sam Curran’s record.
Overall, 30 abroad players received a total of Rs 151 crore, accounting for more than half of all players sold. Australians also received 30% of the total monies invested during the IPL 2024 Auction, which was Rs 230.45 crore.
Here is the Best XI of the costliest players in the IPL 2024 auction:
Travis Head (SRH) – 6.50 Cr
Travis Head in 1st T20. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Travis Head was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 6.50 cr. He previously played two seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 and 2017, scoring 205 runs in 10 matches with one fifty. He also picked up two wickets with his off-spin. But then he was a fresh-faced cricketer and now Head is one of the best batters in the world.
He won the Player of the Match in the final of World Test Champions 2023 and then repeated the feat in the semi-final and final of the ICC World Cup 2023. Head was expected to go for INR 10 cr or more, but SRH grabbed the Australian batter for a cheap price in comparison to what some other batters got.
Harry Brook (DC) – 4 Cr
Harry Brook Delhi Capitals. (Photo Source: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Harry Brook had gotten a deal of over INR 13 cr in the IPL 2023 from Sunrisers Hyderabad. But apart from a century, he managed just a total of 190 runs in 11 matches and was released by his team. His saying questionable things about Indian fans after his century didn’t get him brownie points as well.
But the new look Harry Brook apologised for his comments on Indian fans and performed well in 2023 for England and in other T20 Leagues. He received another chance in IPL by Delhi Capitals who bought him for INR 4 cr and he will sort their middle order issues and can be used as an opener also. This is in case Prithvi Shaw fails to come good for the third season running.
Sameer Rizvi (CSK) – 8.4 Cr
Sameer Rizvi (Photo Source: Twitter)
Chennai Super Kings usually pick the players from a list that they get from captain MS Dhoni and this time, seemingly the instruction was to go hard for Uttar Pradesh’s Sameer Rizvi. The CSK franchise ignored experienced Indian batters and went for Rizvi on the back of his scintillating performance in the UP T20 league.
Dubbed a ‘right-handed Suresh Raina’, Rizvi is expected to perform the role Ambati Rayudu used to do for the CSK team at no.3. It remains to be seen, whether the right-handed batter lives up to the INR 8.4 cr that CSK splurged on him.
Kumar Kushagra (DC) – 7.20 Cr
Kumar Kushagra. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Delhi Capitals were a franchise possessed on filling the team with backup wicketkeepers for Rishabh Pant in the IPL 2024 auction. They bought Shai Hope, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, and Kumar Kushagra. But the standout buy for them proved to be Kushagra.
DC paid INR 7.20 cr for Kushagra, who has played U19 cricket for India. He had impressed DC director of cricket Sourav Ganguly a lot and hence the franchise broke the bank for the unknown entity in the auction. Given his aggressive ability with the bat, DC team management might push at the top of the order and see him as a backup to Prithvi Shaw.
Shahrukh Khan (GT) – 7.4 Cr
Shahrukh Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Gujarat Titans needed an Indian batter as a finisher, especially with Hardik Pandya deciding to move back to Mumbai Indians. With Pandya absent, there was too much pressure on David Miller and Rahul Tewatia to finish matches, along with Rashid Khan. Therefore, the Gujarat Titans made a smart move.
They went hard for Tamil Nadu’s Shahrukh Khan in the IPL 2024 auction and got him for INR 7.4 cr. This gives them the finisher they wanted and an option as a spinner. Shahrukh is also a very safe fielder and GT is expected to get their money’s worth. He along with Abhinav Manohar, Miller, and Tewatia gives GT lots of options to choose from.
Rovman Powell (RR) – 7.4 Cr
Rovman Powell. (Photo Source: Steve Bell – ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Rovman Powell, the West Indies T20I captain, was the first player up for bidding in the IPL 2024 auction and Rajasthan Royals went hard for him. RR beat some serious bidding from other franchises and got Powell for INR 7.4 cr. Now RR possesses a good option in lower order along with Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag to finish matches and Powell will be expected to bowl some overs as well.
Harshal Patel (PBKS) – 11.75 Cr
Harshal Patel. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Harshal Patel was the most expensive Indian player sold in IPL 2024 auction. He went for INR 11.75 cr to Punjab Kings (PBKS), who were looking for a leading Indian pacer. PBKS had very good foreign pacers in Sam Curran and Nathan Ellis, but the lack of a death-over Indian specialist cost them dearly in IPL 2022 and 2023.
Hence, they splurged this much money on Harshal Patel, who had done well for RCB in the previous three seasons. He has the joint record for most wickets in a single IPL season with 32 scalps in IPL 2021. Now they have a good Indian bowler to help out Arshdeep Singh, who is a better pacer with the new ball.
Shivam Mavi (LSG) – 6.4 Cr
Shivam Mavi (Photo Source: Twitter)
Shivam Mavi was the perfect Indian pacer Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was looking for in the IPL 2024. He cost them INR 6.4 cr, and LSG hopes that he is the solution they are looking for in pacers to support Mark Wood and Mohsin Khan.
Shivam Mavi will help LSG with inexperience in their Indian pace unit, given that he has played for India already. He will form a fearful pace attack with Wood, Naveen Ul Haq, and Mohsin and can get LSG some quick runs with the bat down the order as well.
Pat Cummins (SRH) – 20.5 Cr
Pat Cummins. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Pat Cummins, the World Test Championship and ICC World Cup-winning Australian captain was the first-ever player to get a bid of over INR 20 cr in IPL history. Sunrisers Hyderabad fully utilised their huge purse and got Cummins for INR 20.50 cr for IPL 2024.
Cummins had missed the IPL 2023 to prep for World Cup 2023 and it bore fruits for him. Now with T20 World Cup 2024 in mind, Cummins will use the IPL 2024 as prep. With Cummins in their side, Sunrisers Hyderabad have a very good captaincy option as well, apart from adding a huge boost to their pace unit.
Mitchell Starc (KKR) – 24.75 Cr
Mitchell Starc. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
With a winning bid of INT 24.75 cr from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player ever in IPL history. He beat the INR 18.50 cr bid that Sam Curran got from Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022 auction. This will be Starc’s first IPL appearance in 8 years, as he had last played for RCB in IPL 2016.
Starc has done it all, winning the T20 World Cup, the ICC World Cup twice, and the World Test Championship. KKR wanted an experienced pacer to lead their attack featuring Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana. Now along with Mitchell Starc and a fit Andre Russell, KKR can form a dangerous bowling unit for the IPL 2024.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (KKR) – 2 Cr
Mujeeb Ur Rahman. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman got a last-minute bid from KKR in the IPL 2024 auction and was bought for his base price of INR 2 cr. The Afghanistan spinner has not been able to repeat his success in international cricket in the IPL. He has picked only 19 wickets in 19 IPL games across 4 seasons.
However, with Sunil Narine having lost some of his sheen and his battles with injuries, KKR wanted a backup spinner for the West Indies tweaker. And they have a perfect option in Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has 251 wickets in 233 T20s with a best of 5/15.
