AB De Villiers shows displeasure on Starc and Cummins price in auction

There have been a lot of talks about the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2024. There have been a lot of surprising buys in the options. One of the biggest buys in the auction is none other than Australia’s fearsome pace duo of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. These two players have been bought for over 20 cr, making them the most expensive players in IPL history. Although this has created history going into the number 1 T20 league in the world, there are still some experts who have mixed feelings about these high prices for the two players.

There is no question that both Starc and Cummins are one of the best bowlers in the world right now with their pace and accuracy, but for them to go to a team with such a high price tag is still slightly questionable. In international cricket both Starc and Cummins are lethal, but their performances in the IPL still leave a lot to be desired. Cummins's IPL record has been underwhelming according to his standards and Starc has not played an IPL game since 2015.

AB’s displeasure

Reacting to the auction, South African legendary batter AB De Villiers had a lot to say about the price at which Cummins and Starc have gone on his YouTube channel. The former cricketer was asked in a Q&A whether Mumbai Indians(MI) and Chennai Super Kings(CSK) were smarter than Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH), who bought the two players. He simply replied, “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.”

AB De Villiers is known for his tactical knowledge in the game and he showed that in this statement. This is where he could see which team has been playing the smart game in the auction and who has gone in with just emotions. He simply explained that MI and CSK were planning and balancing their squad whereas KKR and SRH were just going for the highest demand which were the fast bowlers in the auction.