Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, has ended a successful year by becoming the top-earning player in the Indian Premier League auction. However, his team-mate Mitchell Starc broke this record just an hour later.

The Kolkata Knight Riders spent a whopping A$4.43m (£2.35m) on the experienced fast bowler, surpassing the A$3.67m paid by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Cummins earlier in the auction held in Dubai on Tuesday evening.

The offers exceeded the $3.15 million that was paid for promising all-rounder Cameron Green last year, establishing a new standard for Australian players.

Cummins and World Cup star Travis Head will be joining forces, as the Sunrisers have acquired the talented left-handed batsman for a whopping $1.22 million.

Harry Brook attracted the highest bid for an England player, with the batsman signed by the Delhi Capitals for around £380,000.

Cummins, who skipped this year’s IPL due to a busy international schedule, re-entered the auction and became the center of a fierce bidding battle.

The IPL teams were willing to take risks to secure Cummins, who captained Australia to a surprising win in the ODI World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad last month.

Last year, Cummins was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. However, both MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians were the top bidders.

The Sunrisers outbid the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have players like Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell, to secure Cummins for a record-breaking amount.

Head made a successful return to the IPL after six years, but Cummins’ payday was the main focus.

In the past, Head was a member of two IPL teams – Delhi in 2015 and the Royal Challengers during 2016 and 2017.

The top hitter, Steve Smith, did not get picked during the bidding process. However, he has a long track record in the IPL and is expected to eventually find a team as Australia gears up for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean.

Before the auction, the franchises had already retained Australian players Mitch Marsh, David Warner, Matthew Wade, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Green, and Maxwell.

Source: theguardian.com