Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was picked by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 2 crore in the IPL 2024 auction and it means he will play under the captaincy of MS Dhoni in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. While both cricketers bowed After long international careers, they share a piece of history that is accompanied by an infamous 'clash'. During an ODI match between India and Bangladesh in 2015, Dhoni and Mustafizur collided when the batsman attempted to make a run and the incident ended with both cricketers losing a percentage of their match fees. CSK's social media took to social media to remind people of the incident, along with the caption: “From clash to coalition! It's all #Yellove!”.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc surpassed his Australian bowling partner Pat Cummins to become the most expensive purchase in IPL history with an eye-watering bid of Rs 24.75 crore.
Not long after Cummins collected an unprecedented pay package of Rs 20.50 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Starc upped the ante when Kolkata Knight Riders made a multi-million dollar bid for the left-arm pacer, who last played in the IPL in 2015.
From clash to coalition! It's everything #Yellow!🫂💛 pic.twitter.com/DRTfFkLcJ0
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 19, 2023
Starc's payout was significantly more than what Sam Curran got last year when Punjab Kings paid a then record Rs 18.50 crore for the England all-rounder.
The way IPL works is so unpredictable that a third of the formidable Australian pace trio, Josh Hazlewood, remained unsold in the first round of auctions at a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Gujarat Titans and KKR were engaged in a long and exciting bidding war for Starc before the latter managed to rope him in to a recording contract.
Starc, 33, has usually prioritized international duty over IPL but decided to enter the auction with one eye on the T20 World Cup that follows the IPL.
He has played just two seasons of the IPL and has taken 34 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 20.38.
Cummins, on the other hand, was a regular in the IPL but skipped the 2023 edition to focus on the Ashes and the ODI World Cup.
An intense bidding war ensued for Cummins with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad feverishly raising their paddles to secure the services of the fast bowling all-rounder.
Ultimately, it was SRH who broke the bank for Cummins.
It was not the first time that Cummins raised huge sums at the IPL auction. Ahead of the 2020 edition, KKR had paid Rs 15.5 crore for his services.
(With PTI inputs)
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