Another sensational season of IPL is coming up. After wrapping the auction period, the franchises are all set to go for IPL 2024. This auction created a record. The highest purchase of the tournament happened in this season. Aussie players Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins were bought by the franchises with a whopping range of 20 crore. Former South African all-rounder Chris Morris talked about the pressure of high price and performance.
Record Breaking Purchase:
This edition of the IPL auction has seen some record-breaking purchases. The IPL franchises fought hard to name the best player in the squad. In the history of the tournament, Mitchell Starc become the most valuable player. After the World Cup win, Australian players were high on demand. On Mitchell Starc, every franchise fought. But KKR got the giant deal, they purchased the Aussie bowler with a whopping amount of 24.75 crore. That has been recorded as the biggest deal in the history of the tournament.
Another big buy of the season was Pat Cummins. The Aussie skipper was in high demand. The franchises were eager to name him in their team. But Sunrisers Hyderabad beat every franchise. They purchased Captain with a giant amount of 20.50 crore. In this World Cup, he led the team from the front and won the title. SRH needed a leader and they named Cummins in their team.
Morris on Starc and Cummins:
Chris Morris is a legendary South African player. He has achieved so many things in his playing days. In the 2021 IPL auction, he caught the headline for his purchasing amount in the IPL. In 2021, Rajasthan Royals purchased him with a whopping amount of 16.25 crore. That time, it broke all the bidding records of the IPL auction.
In the IPL 2024 auction, the Australian broke all the records of IPL bids. Chris Morris talked about this. Even after being purchased in big amounts, Morris has faith in Starc and Cummins’ ability. He said, “It is excellent. The bidding is out of our control. If you compare cricket with what other sports are paying, it is great that the best players in the world are being paid the highest. It is an excellent achievement but also brings additional pressure. But they can handle that pressure, that is why they were bought for so much money. They are performing really well right now and are red-hot.”
On Rohit Sharma:
The recent second Test between South Africa and India at Newlands wrapped up in under two days, stirring controversy. India clinched victory by seven wickets, with Captain Rohit Sharma stating his team had no issue with the pitch. However, he pointed out the expectation for other teams to stay silent in spin-friendly conditions in the sub-continent. Morris agreed with Rohit, acknowledging the call-out on hypocrisy. He expressed a desire for a more competitive match.
He said, “Rohit hit the nail on the head. He said that he does not mind Test pitches like these if people do not criticize turning pitches in India. If you want to prepare more pitches suitable for you and your personal performances, then why not? I would have loved to see some more cricket, some more contests. I would have loved to see Dean Elgar go out with a win, but that is cricket, someone has to lose.
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