South Africa’s Chris Morris was IPL’s most expensive player in 2021 when he secured an INR 16.25 crore payday.
Former South African all-rounder Chris Morris was once the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rajasthan Royals had picked him in the 2021 auction with a mammoth INR 16.25 crore bid, winning the bidding war against Punjab Kings. Two years later, his record was broken by England’s Sam Curran, who fetched INR 18.50 crore by the Kings in the 2023 auction.
Chris Morris during his time at RR (L); Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins during 2023 World Cup(File)
Last month, however, the IPL auction created history again as the bid record was broken not once but twice; Pat Cummins breached the INR 20 crore mark — eventually securing a 20.50 crore payday to Sunrisers Hyderabad, while his countryman Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the league’s history, fetching INR 24.50 crore from the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Morris has applauded the groundbreaking acquisition of Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the upcoming 2024 season. Morris expressed his belief that while this record-breaking bid might add some pressure on Starc, the seasoned pacer can justify it through stellar performances and his wealth of experience.
“It is excellent. The bidding is out of our control. If you compare cricket with what other sports are paying, it is great that the best players in the world are being paid the highest. It is an excellent achievement but also brings additional pressure. But they (Cummins and Starc) can handle that pressure, that is why they were bought for so much money. They are performing really well right now and are red-hot,” Morris told ANI.
Morris played in 11 IPL games after his record-breaking bid in the 2021 season of the tournament and was particularly impressive with the ball, picking 15 wickets in the season. However, the South African was not retained by the Royals. It was also his last IPL season.
Starc, meanwhile, is set to make a comeback in the IPL this year after a 9-year gap, as he had made himself unavailable for selection. The Aussie pacer had represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the league in 2014 and 2015, which remained his only appearance in the IPL thus far.
