“Really, for that price?” - AB de Villiers questions massive pay for Starc, Cummins while praising MI’s IPL 2024 auction strategy

Former South African batter AB de Villiers has questioned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) decision to purchase Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, respectively, for exorbitant sums at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction. He also praised Mumbai Indians’ (MI) strategy at the auction.

The Australian fast bowling pair of Starc and Cummins created history at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai after they were purchased for ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore, respectively. The Aussies are now the two most expensive buys ever in the IPL auction.

During a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, De Villiers was asked whether he felt MI was smarter at the IPL 2024 auction than the likes of KKR and SRH. Agreeing, he commented:

“I couldn’t agree more. Some very smart buys. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and other teams that do well in the IPL do well in the auction as well. They make smart buys and not emotional buys. Cummins and Starc, both incredible players, but really, for that price?

"It just shows you the demand. There was demand for fast bowlers in this year’s auction and when the demand goes up, the price goes up.”

While KKR and SRH spent more than ₹20 crore for Starc and Cummins, respectively, Mumbai Indians purchased the trio of Gerald Coetzee (₹5 crore), Dilshan Madushanka (₹4.5 crore) and Nuwan Thushara (₹4.8 crore) for under ₹15 crore.

Hailing Mumbai Indians’ auction buys, De Villiers said:

“Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka - two fantastic players. Also, Mohammad Nabi and Shreyas Gopal two very good buys for their price. They can offer you a lot. I think they did pretty well. All the young bowlers will feed off Jasprit Bumrah. I absolutely love the look of Coetzee, Madushanka and Thushara only for ₹15 crore.”

While Nabi was purchased by Mumbai for ₹1.5 crore, Gopal was picked up for ₹20 lakh.

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“He had a lot of steam” - De Villiers recalls facing a young Gerald Coetzee

In his YouTube video, De Villiers also recalled facing a young Coetzee in a match a few years back. Stating that he bowled with plenty of pace, the former cricketer said:

“I faced this guy about 6-7 years ago. I think he was 18 or 19 years old and he impressed me a lot. He had a lot of steam, a lot of presence. He was in my face in that game. He is going to the mighty Mumbai Indians only for ₹5 crore. That’s a lot of money, but if you compare it to some other players, this was a steal.”

Coetzee was South Africa’s standout bowler in the 2023 ODI World Cup, claiming 20 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.80.