The crazy buys don't always pay off

When the frenetic bidding for Mitchell Starc finally ended, Kolkata Knight Riders emerged with a winning bid of ₹24.75 crore. The twice former champions desperately needed pacers and the Australian left-armer fit the bill. But any which way you look at it, this was crazy money. The auction dynamics again came to the fore as a pitched battle between KKR and Gujarat Titans pushed up the asking price way beyond the realm of logic.

- Ashish Magotra

If Starc plays the entire 2024 season, he will get approximately ₹7.3 lakh per delivery. If that isn't pressure, nothing is. "Humbling to still feel like I'm wanted, or needed, I guess. My gameplay hasn't changed much across formats except a few things here and there. Hopefully the experience can translate to some success," said Starc.

One would imagine that Starc, when he is on his game, fit and not putting country ahead of club, could possibly give KKR the boost they seek. But given the track record of the 'most expensive buys' over the years, he will have to buck the trend in some style.

Take for instance the top earner of the 2023 auction -- Sam Curran. Bought for ₹18.50 crore by Punjab Kings, his numbers hardly did justice to the faith the team management showed in him. He had a few good games with the bat, scoring 276 runs (S/R 135.96), but his bowling was a huge disappointment (10 wkts, econ 10.22). Certainly not the match-winner Punjab had hoped he would be.

The previous year, Mumbai Indians splurged the big bucks on Ishan Kishan. The 'keeper-batter responded by having an ordinary season, scoring 418 runs but at a strike-rate of just 120.11. His career strike-rate in IPL is 134.26.