Mitchell Starc 'Surprised But Thrilled' on Becoming Most Expensive Player in IPL History

Australia’s Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after attracting an eye-watering INR 24.75 Crore from Kolkata Knight Riders in the players’ auction at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday.

In an interaction with Jio Cinema, Starc opened up on his initial reaction.

“It was a shock, of course. My wife Alyssa is with the women’s team in India so she was getting updates quicker than what I was seeing on screen. Surprised but thrilled,” Starc said on Jio Cinema.

“Humbling to still feel like I’m wanted or needed I guess. My gameplay hasn’t changed much across formats except few things here and there. Hopefully the experience can translate to some success. Not too much else to be said,” he added.

Starc said that he did not did not even dream about being sold for such high price.

“Nothing I could’ve dreamt of. A few teams were looking to bolster their bowling attacks but there are a plethora of great bowlers in that list. Pat has gone to Sunrisers, but that’s where he was at KKR, and I hope to fill his shoes there,” Starc said.

“The phones had a few messages coming through. A few guys from KKR touched base. We’ll get some feedback on what is expected and what I can bring to the table, not just from the point of view of skillsets,” he added.

Catch all the latest updates of the IPL 2024 auction here with our special page for the top 10 most expensive buys at the IPL 2024 Auction. Follow our comprehensive coverage for real-time updates of the hottest bidding wars on our IPL 2024 Auction Live Blog.

On being asked about the price-tag pressure, Starc said: “No doubt there’ll be some pressure that comes with the territory. But having the extra experience I have from my last IPL hopefully helps. Few ups and downs I’ve had before but this comes with the territory. Try to be successful and have as much impact as possible.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins briefly held that honour, of being the most expensive buy in IPL, after Sunrisers Hyderabad agreed to splash INR 20.5 Crore for his service before Starc bettered that mark.

When asked about him and Cummins getting paid such huge sums, Starc joked: “Our Test squad whatsapp group has been going off to say its our shout to get dinner next. Something to do ahead of the Boxing Day Test. Special night for both of us.”

Starc, 33, will return to the IPL after an eight-year absence, having previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

When asked about his decision, Starc said: “Been a while, yes. I’ve been involved with RCB in 2014-15, then picked up by KKR in 2018 but got injured. But I’ve been prioritising international cricket and Test cricket for Australia. Coming into the back end of this year and next year, it’s much quieter for Australia as a group so excited to be involved. A good chance to play some really competitive T20 cricket in the best T20 league going around with a T20 World Cup coming up.”