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Australia captain Pat Cummins became the most expensive cricketer in history when he signed for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League for £1.945 million. But his record lasted no more than a few hours when Mitchell Starc claimed the title when he joined Kolkata Knight Riders for £2.35 million.
Starc was expected to be a valuable signing as he prepares to return to the Championship after an eight-year break, and with bidders clearly seeking fast bowlers, a number of teams were involved, but KKR decided to leave – Armer was worth more than a quarter of their budget when they broke. £2 million barrier.
Cummins as Australia captain led his team to victory over India in November and appears to have made his mark on those involved in a long bidding battle to sign the fast bowler in the IPL mini-auction for the 2024 tournament.
Cummins will join fellow Australian at Sunrisers in Travis Head, who stunned India in the World Cup final and was unsurprisingly signed for just under £650,000.
The Australian captain became the lottery’s first millionaire, taking the title from Sam Curran as the most expensive of all time. The England all-rounder went for £1.75m at auction ahead of the 2023 competition.
Pat Cummins’ status as the world’s most expensive cricketer lasted only a few hours before Starc’s name came up
(Getty Images)
Englishman Harry Brook was signed by Delhi Capitals for £380,000, a significant drop compared to the £1.35m he snatched up in the previous auction.
Some may be surprised that he was selected at all, although his explosive 31 off seven deliveries for England against the West Indies at the weekend will have helped boost his chances.
Last year for the Sunrisers, Brook hit a century with 100 runs off 55 deliveries, but in his 11 matches he averaged just 21.11 runs and, like many England players, he performed poorly in the World Cup.
Chris Woakes had the same starting price as Brook, and there was interest from Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, but the former snapped him up for £400,000.
Steve Smith was not sold in the first round of bidding, as was Englishman Phil Salt, who starred with Brook during the win in the West Indies.
Smith last played in the ISL in 2021, when he had a high score of just 39, so he may not be sold in the later rounds.
West Indies batsman Rovman Powell was the first player to be auctioned, joining the Rajasthan Royals.