IPL 2024 Auction: Aakash Chopra reveals why he would think twice before buying Mitchell Starc

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IPL 2024 Auction: Aakash Chopra has predicted that Australia star Mitchell Starc could emerge as the costliest buy of IPL 2024 auction on December 19 in Dubai. Starc is on course to play his first IPL match since 2015.

Mitchell Starc has put himself under the Rs 2 crore base prize category. He recently was in India for the World Cup 2023 in which he picked 16 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 6.06.

Aakash Chopra said that the left-arm pacer could emerge as the leading wicket-taker as he is a match-winner, however, added that he would be personally sceptical before buying him. The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Starc has backed out from playing in the IPL earlier.

“Mitchell Starc would take away a million dollars. Almost everyone who plays in Australia have registered for the Tata IPL auctions. But the most popular of them is undoubtedly Starc. He is a gun bowler with the new ball, picks up early wickets and bowls yorkers as well," Aakash Chopra said while hosting JioCinema’s daily sports show '#AAKASHVANI

"Starc is also a good death bowler and has impressive IPL numbers, as well. He did well playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. However, since then, the number of times he has backed out from playing in the league is definitely a concerning factor.”

Aakash Chopra added that in case Mitchell Starc changes his mind and backs out in the end moments, the franchise having him would be left without an option of a quality pacer.

“After a team buys him, if he backs out at the last moment in order to focus on the Ashes or any personal reason, then the team is in a spot of bother. They will have the money released but key players will not be there. Even in this auction, apart from Starc, there will be other key bowlers like Gerald Coetzee, Josh Hazlewood, Dilshan Madushanka, Ben Dwarshuis and more.

"But, if you buy Starc and he backs out later, then you cannot go back to these names as well as they won’t be available anymore. I won’t be surprised if Starc goes for a huge sum of money but I will be a little sceptical, what if he backs out," Aakash Chopra added.

Franchises including his former team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are expected to get into a bidding war to grab the services of the superstar cricketer.