The IPL mini auction in Dubai saw Australia's Mitchell Starc become the most expensive player in IPL history, as he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore, with Gujarat also bidding for him until the end. Australia's Spacer Johnson was sold for Rs 10 crore in the accelerated round, being bought by Gujarat Titans, while Australia's Jay Richardson was bought by Delhi for Rs 5 crore. Sri Lankan Nuwan Thupara was acquired by Mumbai for Rs 4.80 crore.
Pat Cummins, another Australian player, was sold for Rs 20.50 crore, being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad just one and a half hours before Starc. Harshal Patel became the most expensive Indian player in this auction, being bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 11.75 crore.
In the uncapped players' round, Sumeet Kumar and Robin Minz became millionaires, with Minz being bought by Gujarat Titans for Rs 3.60 crore and Sumeet being bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1 crore. Additionally, five more players were bought in this round, all being sold for Rs 20 lakh. Anshul Kannauj was bought by Mumbai, while Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, and Tanay Tyagarajan became part of Punjab.
A bidding war was seen in Delhi and Gujarat for Australian left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson, who was ultimately sold for 10 crores. Starting from a base price of Rs 50 lakh, Johnson's price reached Rs 10 crore, with Gujarat ultimately acquiring him for 20 times more than the base price.
The IPL player auctions, which makes global headlines and history being made every year, had touched the Rs 20 crore mark for the first time.