‘Over The Top, Nobody Is Worth…’: Sunil Gavaskar opines on Mitchell Starc’s IPL salary
Sunil Gavaskar, a former captain of India, has expressed doubts over Kolkata Knight Riders’ choice to pay Mitchell Starc Rs. 24.75 crore for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Five years had passed since Starc had participated in an IPL auction, and he was the most expensive player ever. After a heated bidding battle with Gujarat Titans, KKR was able to pay Rs 24.75 crore to get the services of the Australian pacers.
Gavaskar opines that no player deserves such hefty amount of money
Regarding Starc’s transfer to KKR, Gavaskar stated that no player is deserving of that kind of money.
“Over the top, to be absolutely frank. I don’t think anybody is worth that kind of money. If Starc can make an impact and win maybe four out of the 14 matches that he plays, then you can say money’s worth. Then if he makes contributions in the other games – absolutely fantastic,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Starc needs to facilitate his team with match-winning performance
The renowned batter continued by saying that Starc will need to provide match-winning performances against elite teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“He has got to bowl match-winning spells in at least four out of the 14 matches, and maybe the crucial matches against the Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings and RCB, because these three have top-class batting lineups. Bowl those teams out and you could even then say – money’s worth,” he added.
Mitchell Starc’s IPL comeback after 8 years
Starc’s two IPL seasons with RCB were in 2014 and 2015. KKR signed him in 2018 for a reported sum of INR 9.40 crore, however he was unable to play due to an injury.
After Australia defeated India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Starc claimed 16 wickets in 10 matches.
After teammate Pat Cummins was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.5 crore on the same day in the IPL 2024 auction held in Dubai on Tuesday, Starc became the second player to surpass the 20-crore mark.
He will make his IPL comeback following an eight-year break. He demonstrated his bowling ability in the 2014 edition, taking 14 wickets at an average of 28.71 in 14 matches.
Starc improved upon his previous year’s efforts, taking 20 wickets at an exceptional average of just 14.55 in 13 matches. Notably, in the 2015 season, he recorded his best results of 4/15.
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