Netizens cricket fans have questioned the IPL pricetags for Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins and his fast bowling partner Mitchell Starc, who became the butt of jokes on social media after the duo pocketed record sums during the IPL auction in Dubai.
Ahead of the auction, there were expectations of a bidding war between franchises for Starc. Eventually, former IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) went toe-to-toe for the 33-year-old star.
In the end, KKR set an all-time auction record by snatching Starc for $3 million, making him the first player in the cash-rich league's history to become a triple millionaire.
On the other hand, his Australian colleague Pat Cummins also set the auction on fire after being hired for $2.45 million.
However, despite Starc and Cummins earning big bucks at the IPL auction, Indian fans labeled their signings as being overpriced, while some described the amount of money invested in them a "total waste".
"24.75 Cr, that's ¼ of your purse spent on 1 player. No doubt, Starc is a clutch player. But, at this stage of his career, he's absolutely overpriced," one fan wrote on X.
"Mitchell Starc becomes the highest-paid player in IPL history!! Overpriced Right?? Waste," another commented.