The IPL 2024 Auction was held on Tuesday, December 19, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Not only it was the first time an IPL auction was slated outside India, but it also included fans in the arena.
Pat Cummins (INR 20.5 crore) and Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crore) were the biggest earners in the IPL 2024 auction as the pair shattered the most expensive IPL player ever records with Starc now standing head and tall above others.
Most of the 10 IPL franchises would be happy with their purchases by the end of the IPL 2024 auction. However, some might rue a few of their decisions by the end of the day. There were a few steals in the auction and quite a few bad purchases.
In this article, we will look at the 5 best steals in the IPL 2024 auction:
Wanindu Hasaranga – 1.5 crore by SRH
All the fans were left stunned as SRH pocketed Wanindu Hasaranga for a mere 1.5 crore, which was his base price. Hasaranga is a spin-bowling all-rounder who has previously been at the top of the ICC T20I bowling ranking and in 2022 was a major force in RCB reaching the playoffs. He can hit six as a lower-order batsman and is the best Sri Lankan T20 player currently.
Rachin Ravindra – 1.8 crore by CSK
Perhaps the biggest steal in the IPL 2024 auction was Rachin Ravindra, who was bought for only 1.8 crore by CSK. Before the auction, fans had been expecting Rachin to go for at least 7-8 crore given his exploits with the bat during the World Cup and that he can also bowl left-arm finger spin. DC and CSK started the bidding, and while PBKS also showed interest, Stephen Fleming, the CSK coach, bagged Rachin for a very low price.
Gerald Coetzee – 5 crore by MI; Dilshan Madushanka – 4.6 crore by MI
Mumbai Indians were less active in the auction, because they had plans and had targeted specific players, most of them they managed to recruit. Two of them were Gerald Coetzee and Dilshan Madushanka. Fans were surprised that other franchises let MI purchase Coetzee and Madushanka combined for less than 10 crore.
In the World Cup, both were among the chart of the leading wicket-takers. Madushanka took 21 wickets and Coetzee took 20 wickets. MI would be very happy with the signing of these two in-form fast bowlers.
Kartik Tyagi – 60 lakhs by GT
While Gujarat Titans failed to get Mitchell Starc, they would be elated at getting young Indian pacer Kartik Tyagi for only 60 lakhs with barely any other franchise contending. Perhaps the fastest pacer among the uncapped Indians, Tyagi has played in the last three IPL seasons and is maturing quickly. He is gaining skills to bowl in the death overs, which he’s showcased in his short stints in the IPL.
