(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra predicted how much money could Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah fetch if they asked for a release from their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises and put their name in the auction instead.
Chopra’s prediction came as an aftermath of what unfolded in the IPL 2024 auction. Australian World Cup-winning duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins became the two most expensive buys in the IPL auction history.
Starc and Cummins raked in a moolah as franchises went all-out after them, engaging in a highly-intense bidding war. While Starc got roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 24.75 crore, Pat Cummins went to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 20.50 crore.
Looking shocked by the massive interests for the two Australians, Chopra brought Kohli and Bumrah into the conversation, predicting that the Indian stars could attracted the bids of anywhere around INR 42 crore and INR 35 crore respectively.
“If Mitchell Starc plays all 14 games and bowls his full quota of four overs, each ball will cost ₹7,60,000. Astonishing. But here’s a question. Who is the world’s best bowler? Who is the IPL’s best bowler? His name is Jasprit Bumrah. He gets ₹12 crore and Starc almost 25. That’s wrong. I don’t grudge anybody’s money. I wish everyone gets paid a lot but how is this fair?” Chopra said as quoted on his YouTube channel.
“It’s the Indian Premier League. How is one getting paid so less and the other so much? Loyalty is royalty. If tomorrow, Bumrah tells MI ‘Please release me and I’ll put my name in the auction’. Or if Kohli says the same to RCB, their prices will rise, right? And that’s how it should be? If this auction market decides that Starc’s price is ₹25 crore, then it will also decide that Kohli should be worth 42 crore, or Bumrah 35 crore. If that isn’t happening, there is a fault,” he added.