Mitchell Starc deal highlights sad truth for cricket after $4.4 million IPL windfall
The Aussie star is laughing all the way to the bank after returning to the lucrative T20 league for the first time since 2015.
EXCLUSIVE
Mitchell Starc will be paid around $13,000 a ball after attracting a record-breaking Indian Premier League deal that is set to change the cricketing landscape forever. The veteran Australian paceman will collect a staggering $4.4m from the Kolkata Knight Riders after a bidding war with the Gujarat Titans at the IPL mini auction in Dubai on Tuesday night.
It’s the most ever paid for a player, blowing away the previous record of $3.677m set by Starc's teammate and Aussie captain Pat Cummins earlier in the night. Starc, who hasn't played in the IPL since 2015, celebrated his unexpected windfall with a breakfast of buckwheat crepes at a Sydney northern beaches café with long-time manager Andrew Fraser on Wednesday morning.
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Fraser joked he still had to pay the bill, but got serious when talk turned to the ramifications for cricket's future globally. "These are incredible numbers that we haven’t seen before," Fraser told Yahoo Sport Australia. "We all hoped Mitch would get a big number as he deserved it, but I think the enormity of this deal has surprised everyone.
"This has changed cricket forever. When you compare this to what players on central contracts are getting paid, cricket authorities around the world are in for a challenging time in the years ahead."
What does Mitchell Starc's deal mean for future of Test cricket?
The future of Test cricket is under serious threat by the IPL and other Twenty20 leagues around the world, especially in nations where the game loses money. Outside of the big three – Australia, England and India – there is little demand or appetite for the longest form of the game.
The once formidable South Africa has played just three Tests in 2023 compared to Australia's 12. Players crave the challenge and prestige Test cricket provides but money talks and talks loudly. International golf has been going through massive upheaval and change since the introduction of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit and cricket is set to be next cab off the sporting rank.
Fraser said: "The players' schedules are getting more demanding every year and there's new T20 leagues evolving all the time offering players some wonderful opportunities. But hopefully Test cricket remains an integral part of the global calendar and they can continue to complement each other."
Starc has resisted the IPL riches for close to a decade, mainly to preserve his body for red ball cricket. The 33-year-old will line-up for Australia against Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG after playing a leading role in the first Test win at Optus Stadium.
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