Are Pat Cummins & Mitchell Starc worth their record IPL auction figures?

Fresh off winning the World Test Championship, retaining the Ashes and winning the Cricket World Cup, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have set new records at the IPL auction. But are the Australian duo worth their auction figures?

Cummins was the winning captain as he led Australia to a dream six months of glory, and he earned a huge payday after being sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for 20.5 cr Indian rupees after an intense battle with Royal Challengers Bangalore for him.

That was an IPL auction record but it didn’t last very long with his quick bowling partner Starc racing to the top of the Australian record books when snapped up 24.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders.

That price was driven up by both the Mumbai India and Delhi Capitals, before Gujarat Titans tried their best to snap up the left-arm quick. KKR were not to be denied, though.

Those two figures topped the 18.15 cr that England bowler Sam Curran was sold for during the 2022 IPL auction.

Undoubtedly the Cricket World Cup heroics from both in India in November played a big part in their purchase, but the big question is now over whether Cummins and Starc are worth those staggering record purchase prices.

Pat Cummins

Considering some of the major Australian bookmakers were questioning his captaincy credentials for Australia, Cummins has answered just about everything asked of him across the last year.

He has combined the mental toil of captaincy along with the rigours of leading his bowling attack with incredible success and still looks as fresh as ever heading into 2024.

At the World Cup, in the heat of battle, Cummins was as cool as a cucumber as he outthought India captain Rohit Sharma and led his team to glory.

With 19 wickets in nine matches at the World Cup and an average of 26.68, Cummins led the Australia attack and was a standout figure. Not, only that, he contributed with the bat too.

Having already feature in the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and 2015, Delhi Daredevils in 2017 and back at KKR from 2020 to 2022, Cummins’ experience is worth plenty. 

His last six months have earned him his big payday, and another successful season beckons in the IPL.

Mitchell Starc

Starc hasn’t played in the IPL for eight years with his last appearance coming in 2015, the last of two seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He was due to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 having been purchased for 9.4 cr but injury kept him out of the entire tournament and he hasn’t appeared since with bubble fatigue one of the factors.

With a free schedule, Starc should be firing down bombs for KKR in 2024 when he returns to India for the first time on a cricket pitch since winning the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

His heroics in the semi-final and final of the CWC was a key factor after the left-armer took 3/60 in both wins over South Africa and the India. It ensured he ended the tournament with 15 wickets in total.

Handy with the bat too, particularly when needed as a big hitter late in the innings, it is easy to see why he is the new record holder for an auction sale and big things are expected.