IPL 2024
Top 5 biggest steal deals in IPL 2024 mini-auction
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction has successfully concluded with all 10 franchises inducting the required players to fill the vacancies. The teams engaged in a bidding war held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday, spending a combined total of Rs 230.45 crore to sign as many as 72 players of their choice for the upcoming season.
It was Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins who grabbed the spotlight by becoming the most expensive players in the history of the IPL auction. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought the left-arm pacer for Rs 24.75 lakh, while the 2023 ODI World Cup-winning skipper went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.5 crore.
However, some franchises have been able to acquire much-needed and top-class players at cheap prices. The event also witnessed some franchises investing huge sums of money on players who didn’t deserve that much based on their performance. Let’s take a look at the 5 biggest steals in the 2024 IPL mini-auction.
5. Azmatullah Omarzai – ₹ 50 lakh by GT
Afganistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai was never part of the IPL but he was expected to earn more than Rs 50 lakh. The 23-year-old all-rounder had an impressive outing in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he scored 353 runs and took seven wickets in nine innings. His unbeaten 97* against South Africa and 73* against Sri Lanka were remarkable. GT managed to get him for an affordable rate.
4. Travis Head – ₹ 6.8 crore by SRH
Player of the match in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the 2023 ODI World Cup, Australia’s current trump card in all formats and can contribute in both departments – does Travis Head need anything else to make franchises break their bank? However, the southpaw did not trigger a bidding war as expected as he was sold to SRH for Rs 6.8 crore.
3. Gerald Coetzee – ₹ 5 crore by MI
Two fast bowlers earned more than 20 crores. Even Harshal Patel and Alzarri Joseph earned over Rs 10 crore. But Gerald Coetzee, South Africa’s star bowler in the 2023 World Cup, could get just Rs 5 crore from Mumbai Indians (MI). The 23-year-old was the highest wicket-taker for the Proteas, picking up 20 wickets at an incredible average of 19.80. MI targeted a replacement for Jofra Archer and they have got a player who is currently in top form for a great deal.
2. Rachin Ravindra – ₹ 1.8 crore by CSK
The New Zealand young sensation was expected to fetch a huge sum at the auction given his impressive performance in the 2023 World Cup. Ravindra’s dream outing resulted in 578 runs coming at an average of 64.22, including three centuries. However, there was not much competition between the franchises and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) managed to get him for just Rs. 1.8 crores.
1. Wanindu Hasaranga – ₹ 1.5 crore by SRH
The Sri Lankan spin wizard was sold for a whopping sum of ₹10.75 crore two years ago. However, this time Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) managed to get him for just Rs 1.5 crore. Hasaranga is currently one of the best white-ball leg spinners and he can also contribute with his batting skills in the lower middle order. SRH also found a good replacement for Rashid Khan.