IPL Auction 2024: In the most recent auction, records were shattered once more, but many of the deals also caught the fans off guard.
In addition to being a showcase for cricket brilliance, the Tuesday IPL auction in Dubai set records for player evaluations. The league record books were rewritten by Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who stole the show. Being the first player to command a bid exceeding INR 20 crore, Cummins made history as the captain of the Australian ODI and Test teams. Sunrisers Hyderabad paid an incredible INR 20.50 crore to acquire his services, which is a testament to his leadership and all-around ability.
But soon after, Mitchell Starc—who turned out to be the most expensive player in IPL history—came into prominence. After a fierce bidding battle, the Kolkata Knight Riders broke the bank with a whopping INR 24.75 crore for the seasoned Australian fast bowler.
Even though these well-known names stole the show, there were plenty of unexpected twists and turns during the IPL auction 2024. A few players who weren’t initially expected to be the main attraction ended up being the center of bidding wars. Let’s take a closer look at the players who shocked cricket fans and the industry in the IPL auction 2024 by securing huge profits and engaging in unexpected bidding wars.
Harshal Patel With a bid of ₹11.75 crores, Punjab Kings managed to acquire Indian pacer Harshal Patel’s services. Without a doubt, Harshal has been one of the more outstanding players in the recent IPL season; with 32 wickets in 15 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 season, Harshal won the Purple Cap. But since then Harshal’s progress at the RCB has been hampered by inconsistency.
The right-arm pacer’s specialty is slower balls, but even that wasn’t enough for Harshal in the 2023 edition, as he gave up wickets at a 9.66 economy rate while taking 14 for the side in 13 games. Even though it appeared highly likely that Harshal Patel would not sell, an unexpected turn of events occurred when the bidding for him unexpectedly reached ₹11.75 crores. From the beginning of the bidding process, Punjab Kings remained the front-runners for Harshal, successfully fending off challenges from the Gujarat Titans and then the Lucknow Super Giants to get his signature.
Spencer Johnson
Australian left-arm swift A little over a year ago, Spencer Johnson worked as a landscape gardener and greenskeeper. In the 2024 IPL auction, he proved to be an incredible success story. The base price of INR 50 lakhs for the 194cm speedster skyrocketed to an astounding INR 10 crore. He is now the fifth-highest-paid Australian player in the IPL 2024, behind Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Cameron Green, thanks to this incredible deal that is 20 times his base salary.
Click Here For More
Among the highlights of Johnson’s explosive rise have been his Sheffield Shield, BBL, and outstanding Australian debut. He had a breakthrough BBL 12 season with Brisbane Heat before making his first-class debut for South Australia and winning the UK Hundred with the Oval Invincibles. This performance won him recognition across the globe. He then made his debuts for Australia in T20 Internationals and ODIs. Johnson has now joined the Gujarat Titans, adding his left-arm strength to an attack that also includes Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami.
