A cricketer’s worth is not necessarily determined by his value at an Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. But when it comes to the annual player auction, it is the players with the high price tags that steal the headlines.
Tuesday was no different in Dubai when two Australian pacers — Mitchell Starc (₹24.75 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders) and Pat Cummins (₹20.50 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad) — earned the highest bids ever in the history of the IPL auction.
Not too many who occupied the 10 tables at the sprawling Coca Cola Arena were surprised with the prices that hit through the roofs. Kumar Sangakkara, the Rajasthan Royals director of cricket and head coach, was among them.