"I don't think anybody is worth that kind of money" - Sunil Gavaskar on KKR's acquisition of Mitchell Starc for an exorbitant sum ahead of IPL 2024

Sunil Gavaskar feels the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went over the top while buying Mitchell Starc for an exorbitant sum at the IPL 2024 auction.

The Kolkata-based franchise spent a whopping ₹24.75 crore to acquire the Australian seamer. They spent a total of ₹31.35 crore to purchase 10 players at the auction in December last year.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked about his thoughts on the Kolkata Knight Riders spending a fortune to buy Starc. He responded:

"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."

The former India captain added that KKR will get their money's worth only if the left-arm seamer bowls match-winning spells in at least four games, preferably against some of the top batting sides.

"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," Gavaskar stated.

Starc picked up 34 wickets at an economy rate of 7.17 in the 27 games he played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Indian Premier League. He hasn't played in the last eight seasons of the prestigious tournament and will hope to make an impact on his return.

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"It will depend on the kind of pitch we get in Kolkata" - Irfan Pathan on KKR's bowling heading into IPL 2024

KKR bought Mujeeb Ur Rahman for ₹2 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. [P/C: Getty]

Irfan Pathan was further asked about his thoughts on the rest of the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling lineup. He replied:

"It will depend on the kind of pitch we will get in Kolkata. We have seen in the World Cup, the pitch can be slower there. They have now got in Mujeeb Ur Rahman as well, so they have probably four mystery spinners."

The former India all-rounder feels the combination of Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will prove to be a potent weapon if the Eden Gardens pitch assists the spinners.

"For them, it will be better to go back to those old days of 2011 to 2014 when they won those two titles. If we can get slow pitches which turn, they are pretty much sorted as far as the bowling is concerned. If they have that kind of track, their spinners will be very, very lethal," Pathan said.

Pathan noted that apart from Mitchell Starc, KKR have a couple of young and talented Indian fast bowlers. However, he acknowledged that the franchise will be heavily banking on Starc irrespective of the conditions on offer.