The countdown for the Indian Premier League (IPL) has already started, and all the franchises are currently busy working on their strategies to win and bring the coveted trophy home. According to the Hindustan Times, the 10 franchises spent a total of Rs 230.45 crore in the IPL auction. The auction saw a total of 333 cricketers, including 214 Indians and 119 overseas players, go under the hammer, however, only 72 players managed to secure a contract. Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) splurged a whopping Rs 24.75 crore for Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in IPL 2024.
A few franchises, such as Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), made significant moves even before the auction to strengthen their squads. Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians, spent Rs 15 crore to acquire the services of Hardik Pandya, while Royal Challengers Bangalore bought Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 17.50 crore. Hardik Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to the title in their maiden season, will be taking over the role of captain from Rohit Sharma in the upcoming edition of the T20 league. Despite the big-money move, the new captain of Mumbai Indians isn’t the highest paid captain in IPL 2024. It’s not even KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, or MS Dhoni. Scroll down to find out who it really is.
Meet the highest-paid captain in IPL 2024; and it’s not Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli
Pat Cummins, who led the Australian team to a historic World Cup victory in 2023, has been appointed as the new captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad. He replaces Aiden Markram as the new captain of the team in Orange. Moreover, he has also become the highest paid captain in IPL 2024.
The Hyderabad-based franchise owned by Kalanithi Maran of the SUN Group spent Rs 20.50 crore to acquire the services of an Australian cricketer, who impressed everyone with his captaincy during the 2023 World Cup. Pat Cummins surpasses KL Rahul, who earns Rs 17 crore for leading the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team. Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya hold the third and fourth spots, respectively, on the list of highest-paid captains in IPL 2024.
In February, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a schedule for the first 21 matches of the IPL 2024 cricket tournament. The opening match will be played on March 22 in Chennai, between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The dates for the remaining matches will be announced once the schedule for the upcoming general elections is finalized.
