‘Really, for that price’: AB de Villiers questions IPL bidding of Cummins, Starc

Former South African batting star AB de Villiers questioned the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL) bidding after Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins became the most expensive players in the league’s history.

The Australian fast bowling duo of Starc and Cummins made headlines at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai, securing deals worth ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore, respectively. They now hold the record as the two most expensive purchases ever in an IPL auction.

During a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, De Villiers was asked whether he believed MI displayed greater smartness at the IPL 2024 auction compared to KKR and SRH. In agreement, he remarked:

“I couldn’t agree more. Some very smart buys. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and other teams that do well in the IPL do well in the auction as well. They make smart buys and not emotional buys. Cummins and Starc, both incredible players, but really, for that price?" he questioned.

"It just shows you the demand. There was demand for fast bowlers in this year’s auction and when the demand goes up, the price goes up," he added.

On November 19, Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in IPL history after he was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping INR 24.75 crore fee on Tuesday during IPL 2024 auctions.

A long bidding war between KKR and Gujrat Titans (GT) took place for the in-demand Australian pacer which the former eventually won.

Starc trumped his national teammate Pat Cummins to become the costliest player in IPL. The 30-year-old was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 20.5 crore following an intense bidding war for the 2023 World Cup winning captain between Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Hyderabad, the 30-year-old was eventually scooped in by SRH where he is also expected to lead them.

That was the first time that the 20-crore barrier was broken in the IPL auction.