After the day’s events, Sanjiv Goenka and Kumar Sangakkara participated in thoughtful and captivating discussions regarding the breaking of the salary limits in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rajasthan Royals coach succinctly noted, “Mini auctions are notorious for that. If you have a high purse and no supply and specific targets, it can happen, and it did happen today.” He added, “We knew it was going to be breached, but not by us.”
Goenka expressed a more direct perspective, stating, “These barriers were getting breached each season. Who knows, the 25 crore barrier may get breached next time around.” The discussion revolved around the substantial salaries awarded to Australian pace bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, both of whom surpassed the INR 20 crore mark in the league.
IPL Evolution: From INR 20 Crore to INR 100 Crore – A 15-Year Journey
The IPL took a significant leap forward, especially considering that the total salary cap in the league’s inaugural year was INR 20 crore, equivalent to $5 million in 2008 with an exchange rate of INR 40. Over the 15 years since its inception, the IPL has undergone substantial growth. Venky Mysore, the CEO, and MD of Knight Riders, who made headlines by acquiring Starc for INR 24.75 crore, explained, “The salary cap has gone up significantly since the first year. Naturally, the player fee is bound to go up.” He referred to the current salary cap of INR 100 crore“.
While Starc emerged as the costliest buy at the auction, other players like KS Bharat (INR 50 lakh), Chetan Sakariya (INR 50 lakh), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (INR 20 lakh), Ramandeep Singh (INR 20 lakh), Sherfane Rutherford (INR 1.5 cr), Manish Pandey (INR 50 lakh), Mujeeb Rahman (INR 2 cr), Gus Atkinson (INR 1 cr), and Sakib Hussain (INR 20 lakh) were secured at their base prices. Explaining the rationale behind Starc’s price, the KKR official stated, “Teams decide to slice it differently. What you’ve paid to somebody up, down, and whatnot is a matter of perspective. Ultimately, we’re all spending the same amount of money.“
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Bidding Wars and Strategies: Knight Riders Triumph in Starc Pursuit
Knight Riders found themselves in a fierce bidding battle with Gujarat Titans, who entered the auction with the highest purse (INR 38.15 crore). At the start of the day, KKR had a lower balance (32.7). However, when Mitchell Starc’s name was put up for auction, both teams were nearly on par – KKR with INR 31.70 crore and GT with a purse of INR 31.85 crore. This equality arose because KKR lost out on earlier bids for players like Rovman Powell and Chris Woakes to Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, respectively. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans secured Azmatullah Omarzai (INR 50 lakh) and Umesh Yadav (INR 5.8 cr).
The bidding intensified for Starc, and the Titans pushed the price to INR 24.5 crore before Knight Riders secured the Australian for an additional INR 25 lakh. Reflecting on the competition, a KKR representative stated, “We knew Gujarat would be our competition. They had a lot more money than us, but they made a couple of purchases, and it equalized the purse virtually. It came down to almost level. It’s difficult to say how far we would have gone. In the end, maybe we made one more bid than GT expected, and they made one bid less than we expected.“
“Those are the auction dynamics, that’s how they work. It could have gone the other way. Had they continued, we would have had to stop it at some point. How far you go depends on how much other work is left to do, how many slots you have, what players you want, and how much money you want to fill those gaps,” Mysore analysed.
The KKR management’s perspective on the significant price for Starc at INR 24.75 crore (25% of the total purse of INR 100 crore) is straightforward. Despite the sizable portion of the budget, their approach to the auction was simple: there is a salary cap of INR 100 crore, and all 10 teams have the same limit. Mysore emphasized that when the auction concluded, every team had spent INR 100 crore—no more and no less. The beauty of it, as Mysore highlighted, was that they successfully acquired the player they desired.
While luck played a role for the Knight Riders, the team’s intent and determination were also key factors. In retrospect, missing out on Powell and Woakes turned out to be advantageous for the Knight Riders, allowing them to allocate funds towards securing Starc. On the other hand, the Titans, who remained inactive in the early stages, might have benefited by waiting longer for their initial purchase.
After the intense bidding battle, Mysore and Vikram Solanki shared a celebratory hug, reflecting the success of the Knight Riders’ strategy. However, the Titans’ head appeared visibly disappointed despite entering the auction with the maximum funds. Despite their financial strength, the Titans couldn’t secure the player they had eagerly yearned for.
Balancing the Scales for Indian Players: Aakash Chopra Proposes Solutions to IPL Salary Disparities
Aakash Chopra expressed dissatisfaction with the substantial price tags that Australian pacers secured in the IPL auction, highlighting the disparity compared to top Indian players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned the fairness of the situation, pointing out that if Mitchell Starc plays all 14 games, each ball he bowls would cost Rs 7,60,000.
“If Mitchell Starc plays all 14 games and bowls his full quota of four overs, each ball will cost Rs 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 Rs 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 emphasized that while he doesn’t begrudge anyone’s earnings, the significant difference in pay between Starc and players like Bumrah is unfair. He suggested that if Kohli and Bumrah were to enter the auction pool, their bids could surpass Rs 42 crore and Rs 35 crore, respectively.
Addressing the issue, Chopra proposed a solution to introduce a cap on spending for foreign players, ensuring parity. He suggested allocating a specific portion of the team’s purse for overseas players, alongside a separate budget for Indian players, aiming to eliminate the existing disparity. Chopra cited the example of Sunrisers Hyderabad possibly viewing Pat Cummins as a captaincy option, as his Rs 20.50 crore price tag might not align with his IPL performance record.
