In a historic moment at the IPL 2024 auction, Australian players Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both broke the INR 20 crore mark, with Cummins being sold for INR 20.25 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Starc securing the highest-ever bid of INR 24.75 crore from Kolkata Knight Riders. Starc's record bid makes him the most expensive player in IPL history, and he is set to earn over INR 1.76 crore per match in the upcoming season. Both players will earn more via their salaries than the winners' prize money in the IPL, with the 2024 champions set to take home a total of INR 20 crore.
After buying Starc, KKR CEO Venky Mysore explained, “When the IPL started, the total salary cap for a team was 20 crore. So times have changed. When we walk out of this auction all teams would have spent the 100 crore. It's a matter of perspective and how which team decides how to slice their purse. Ultimately, we are all spending the same amount.”
Total price: Rs 24.75 crore
Per match: Rs 24.75 crore/14 = Rs 1.767 crore
Per over (4 per match): Rs 1.767 crore/4 = Rs 44.196 lakh
Per ball - Rs 44.196 lakh/6 = Rs 7.366 lakh
(Assumptions are made for only 14 matches and not for finals)