Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir was mocked on X, previously Twitter, for the franchise's decision to break the bank to buy Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

 

It is worth noting that Gautam Gambhir recently returned to KKR in a new role after having spent the previous two years at the Lucknow Super Kings (LSG).

 

KKR is Gautam Gambhir's spiritual IPL home, considering he led the side to two IPL titles during his stint as skipper from 2011 to 2017. However, following his departure, the Kolkata-based franchise failed to add silverware to its cabinet.

Interestingly, Mitchell Starc and his Australian team captain Pat Cummins became the most expensive players in the history of the cash-rich league.

 

With Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquiring the services of Mitchell Starc at a whopping price of INR 24.75 crores, the 33-year-old left-arm speedster became the first triple millionaire in the IPL.

 

For the unversed, Mitchell Starc hasn't played in the IPL since 2015, picking 34 wickets in 27 games in the competition. However, his recent heroics in Australia's World Cup-winning campaign in India seemed to have played a part in his stakes rising exponentially in the IPL.

 

Mitchell Starc's pace bowling partner and captain in Australian colors, Pat Cummins, joined him in the elite list, becoming just the second player to breach the ₹20 crore mark in the IPL auction.

 

Before KKR broke all records to hire Mitchell Starc for IPL 2024, Pat Cummins became the first player in the tournament's history to receive a price tag of over ₹20 crores.

 

Former IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad shelled out an earth-shattering ₹20.5 crore at the auction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 

On the other side, KKR's CEO Venky Mysore defended the franchise's decision to break the bank for Mitchell Starc.  

 

“Obviously he (Starc) was a preferred player from skill set standpoint. Initially, we were not successful in some of the bids. Maybe that worked in our favor, because we did end up having money to do this. So we're just thankful that we were able to have him on our side. It shows the value of the player and the skill set he possesses. He's a fabulous player,” Venky Mysore said after KKR's winning bid for the Australian pacer.

 

“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.

 

“So what you've paid to somebody is a matter of perspective. Ultimately, we're all spending the same amount of money. When you plan your team, from a retention standpoint, with the auction far away, you've no idea of who are the players being released from other teams, trades happening, and all that. So it's a very dynamic environment,” Venky Mysore explained.

 

Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc reacted to the development in a video shared by his new IPL team, KKR. 

 

“I'm not sure any words would do it justice, really. Alyssa was over there with the Australian team at the minute, so her coverage was slightly ahead of mine here in Australia. So she sort of saw the numbers before I did, so I was getting the updates through her. But, yeah, a fair bit of shock, and certainly excitement with how it was all unfolding. But nothing that I could've ever imagined. Thoroughly thrilled to be joining KKR.” the World Cup-winning Australian fast bowler said in a clip uploaded on X.

 

“It's been a long time since I played in IPL in 2014 and '15 and have obviously played a fair bit of cricket since then. A lot of it for Australia in different formats. There's been a lot of white-ball cricket there [in India] across a few World Cup campaigns, and so that experience is there and a little bit of leadership if you like, in terms of the experience side of things in white-ball cricket that hopefully I can bring to bring to KKR as well and play my part there. And being able to bowl at different stages I think is something that's held firm throughout,” he elaborated.

 

“I've probably prioritized international cricket firstly for a long time whilst having a bit of a taste of IPL and Big Bash in Australia. I've always held firm that I've wanted to play my best cricket for Australia and make myself available for Australia where I can. At the same time, the temptation to go back to IPL and how exciting it is to be involved in such a great tournament, big names, big players, big stages – it's too hard to pass up. There's a place to play all of it. it's just being mindful and putting the work ethic in to be able to do all of it,” Mitchell Starc underlined.

 

“I'm very much looking forward to playing as the home team and experiencing that home crowd [at Eden Gardens]. Some new colors to pull on and a new challenge to look forward to. Hopefully, more of the success that I've had over some time – swinging the new ball, reversing the old, and trying to smack those wickets,” he stressed.

 

Former India captain Anil Kumble and his ex-national teammate Zaheer Khan were surprised with the earth-shattering price tags Mitchell Starc and Australian skipper Pat Cummins garnered during the auction.

 

Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan even demanded that the IPL governing council introduce fresh regulations, limiting the amount a franchise could spend on overseas players as auctions were becoming unfair to domestic players.

 

Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan cited the examples of Jasprit Bumrah (12 crores) and Virat Kohli (17 crores), who were earning far less than they could have earned if they were in the auction.    

 

“That's where I think you seriously need to look at a separate purse for the overseas because otherwise, you will have players not coming into the big auction, especially the foreign players who are in demand. They will choose the smaller auction where you know that you're going to go for a double-digit or even more and today was a classic example. Yes, those two are exceptional players but Starc hasn't played in the IPL since 2015. He isn't the youngest of the lot, and Pat Cummins doesn't have a great T20 record as a bowler. He is the captain of Australia, he's done exceptionally for them,” Anil Kumble told Jio Cinema.

 

“To go for ₹45 crore on Starc and Cummins at an auction like this – yes this was unprecedented and we never thought that the 20 crore barrier will be broken – but I certainly believe that since only four players can play in the Playing XI and you have 8 out of the 25, I think it's only fair that you have a 40 or 45 percent salary of the overall cap for overseas guys. You have really high-quality Indian players. Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, who will be looking at this and thinking what's going on,” Anil Kumble opined.

 

“This is a great point by Anil because look at how IPL started. It began with icon players having 10-15 percent of the top players which you will have in the franchise. It meant that value and weightage was being given to Indian players. We don't know how the dynamics is going to pan out if all the Indian players are put into the auction and their quality. At some stage, I think the franchises will look at it. You don't want players thinking that ‘It's the Indian Premier League. I am the most premier player – doing well for the country and my IPL team – and not getting the value which the market is deciding. It will be interesting to see how much Bumrah will command in this type of a scenario, who has been a consistent performer over the years and a premier fast bowler,” Zaheer Khan pointed out.

 

Ex-India opener Akash Chopra was much more critical regarding the money spent on Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins during the IPL auction.

 

Akash Chopra assessed that if Mitchell Starc would be paid ₹24.75 crore, Jasprit Bumrah should receive ₹35 crore because he's far better than the former.   

 

“If Mitchell Starc plays all 14 games and bowls his full quota of four overs, each ball will cost ₹7,60,000. Astonishing. But here's a question. Who is the world's best bowler? Who is the IPL's best bowler? His name is Jasprit Bumrah. He gets ₹12 crore and Starc almost 25. That's wrong. I don't grudge anybody's money. I wish everyone gets paid a lot but how is this fair?” Akash Chopra remarked on his YouTube channel.

 

“It's the Indian Premier League. How is one getting paid so less and the other so much? Loyalty is royalty. If tomorrow, Bumrah tells MI ‘Please release me and I'll put my name in the auction'. Or if Kohli says the same to RCB, their prices will rise, right? And that's how it should be? If this auction market decides that Starc's price is ₹25 crore, then it will also decide that Kohli should be worth 42 crore, or Bumrah 35 crore. If that isn't happening, there is a fault,” he expressed.

 

“One solution to this is to put a cap on the money kept for overseas players. For example – if you have a purse of ₹200 crore to assemble a team, out of which 1.5 or 1.75 is for Indian players, and the remaining for foreigners. When this happens, it will give you parity, which right now doesn't exist. You can sense disparity at the moment, which is not a good thing. Pretty sure SRH looked at Cummins as a captaincy option. If not, ₹20.50 crore makes no sense. Not for somebody who doesn't have the greatest IPL record. Class player but his T20 numbers are 50-50,” the cricketer-turned-commentator reckoned.

 

Despite the criticism of his decision, Gautam Gambhir backed his move to hire Mitchell Starc for a record price.

“He's a game-changer, no doubt. A player who can bowl well at the beginning, handle pressure in the final overs, and, most importantly, take charge of leading the team's attack,” Gautam Gambhir said.

 

“He will greatly support our two talented domestic bowlers in crucial moments. You need someone to guide them through tough situations, and Starc fulfills that role. It's not just about his bowling, it's also about leading the team's attack and assisting everyone around him. Hence, there will be a cost for it,” he summed up.