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[Saba Sports News] The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), two-time IPL champions, set a new record in the IPL 2024 auction by acquiring Australian star pacer Mitchell Starc for an unprecedented INR 24.75 crore. This made Starc the IPL’s costliest buy ever, eclipsing Pat Cummins’s INR 20.50 crore contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad, which had just surpassed Sam Curran’s INR 18.50 crore deal with Punjab Kings.
Following Starc’s acquisition, KKR paid homage to him with a creative social media tribute. They shared an edited image depicting Starc as Iron Man, integrating a nod to their owner, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, by merging a scene from one of his films with Starc’s image, with the caption, “We won, Mr. Starc! 💜”
This marks Starc’s return to KKR, having previously played for them in 2014 and 2015, where he took 34 wickets in 27 matches.
Starc’s return to the IPL after an eight-year break, coupled with the hefty INR 24.75 crore price tag, brings high expectations for his performance in the 2024 season.
In their quest for a third IPL title, KKR has also bolstered their squad with additions like KS Bharat and Chetan Sakariya. Looking to improve upon their seventh-place finish in the previous season under Nitish Rana’s temporary captaincy, KKR anticipates the return of regular captain Shreyas Iyer for the 2024 season, following his injury absence in 2023. The team aims for a stronger performance to reach the knockout stages, building on their past successes in the league.