IPL 2024 Auction Set 3 & 4: Bidding war continues as pacers keep franchises on their toes

The first four sets of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2024 have been completed, and teams have secured the majority of the vacant positions.

Not much happened in Set 3, as only INR 1 crore was spent on K.S. Bharat and Tristan Stubbs (INR 50 lacs each) by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC), respectively.

Most of the action took place when Set 4 was opened, where the big fish, Mitchell Starc, was present.

Starc was always going to be among the most significant and visually striking purchases. Mumbai Indians (MI) quickly targeted Starc, with an initial bid of INR 2 crore, following which Delhi Capitals (DC) entered the race. A bidding war between Delhi and Mumbai went on for a while before DC withdrew when the mark hit INR 9.4 crore. However, MI’s joy was short-lived as KKR entered the race. Their first raising of the paddle increased Starc’s range to INR 9.6 crore, following which MI withdrew. The look of despair on Akash Ambani’s face was apparent, but that was only the beginning of the drama that would unravel over the next 5-10 minutes. Gujarat Titans (GT) also came to the party but were ultimately outclassed by KKR.

Another big buy from Set 2 was Alzarri Joseph, who was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 11.50 cr. Furthermore, MI also made a clever buy with Dilshan Madushanka for INR 4.60 cr. while Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) also acquired Shivam Mavi for INR 6.40 cr. 

Indian veteran pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav also had a decent outing at the auction, as both were picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and GT, respectively, for INR 1.60 crore and INR 5.80 crore. 

Surprisingly, Lockie Ferguson and Josh Hazelwood remained unsold as the latter had availability issues.

SET 3

SET 4