IPL Auction Special: 3 Most Expensive Fast Bowlers in IPL History

Mitchell Starc among the most expensive fast bowlers to have been sold at the IPL Auctions.

T20 has largely been perceived to be a game that is driven by the batsmen. However, as the saying goes, “You can win matches with good batting unit, but to win tournaments, you need a good bowling unit”. 

Gone are those days when teams went miser when it came to investing on their bowlers. They have realized the importance of quality 4-overs, which can create a huge impact on the match, and the tournament. 

While the batsmen and all-rounders still get the lion’s share in the Auction, bowlers aren’t far behind too. So, with the IPL 2020 Auction around the corner, we have listed down the top 3 most expensive fast bowlers in the IPL History. Interestingly, two of these bowlers will go under the hammer at the upcoming auction too.

#3 Mitchell Starc | Kolkata Knight Riders | INR 9.4 Crores | IPL 2018

Mitchell Starc is a dream signing for any IPL franchise. He is a terrific power-play bowler, who can consistently send the openers back to the pavilion. Apart from his ability to break partnerships in the middle-overs, Starc’s expertise in dishing out yorkers at the end makes him for an ideal IPL bowler.

However, the tall Australian has just played two editions of the IPL so far; 2014 & 2015. In such a short stint at the IPL, the former World No.1 bowler has impressed with his performance picking-up 34 wickets. 

After being released by the RCB, Kolkata Knight Riders went hard after Starc at the IPL 2018 Auction. Warding off many franchises, the Kolkata-based franchise eventually signed the player for INR 9.4 Crores. However, Starc later pulled out from the tournament, and that triggered a series of controversies that season.

#2 Jaydev Unadkat | Rajasthan Royals | INR 11.5 Crores | IPL 2018

A breathtaking 24-wicket season in IPL 2017 helped Jaydev Unadkat secure two successive big-money contracts in the IPL. One of that came in 2018 when Rajasthan Royals paid a whopping INR 11.5 Crores to sign the Saurashtra bowler.

Unadkat is one of the few quality left-arm bowlers that India has produced after Zaheer Khan. Although not really quick, Unadkat is particularly effective with his off-cutters & slower balls, all of which are very efficient in T20s.

However, the player struggled for performance in the last two seasons where he could only manage 21 wickets. That said, Unadkat is a young cricketer, and still has plenty of scope to improve. 

#1 Tymal Mills | Royal Challengers Bangalore | INR 12 Crores | IPL 2017

Royal Challengers Bangalore have always known to be a team that invests heavily in its players. Although it had mainly been on the batsmen side, but in 2017, RCB broke the bank for an overseas fast-bowler.

Tymal Mills had built a reputation for himself with a good performance in England during that time. The player’s ability to be extremely quick, along with his well-disguised slower deliveries got him plenty of wickets in the domestic competitions. Mills also received the England cap for his fine performances.

RCB was in dire need of a quality fast-bowler to fill the huge gap left over by Mitchell Starc. Hence, the franchise remained interested in the player till the very end, eventually signing him for INR 12 Crores.

However, the English cricketer could not justify his price-tag as he picked just 5 wickets in the competition. The player was later released by the team. Since then, Mills has not played in the IPL.

Thanks for reading the article! Which pacer do you guys think would get the highest bid at the IPL 2020 Auction? Do let us know in the comments. 

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ALSO READ: IPL 2020: The Most Expensive XI of the Tournament (Costs More than 1 Billion)

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