New Delhi, March 30 -- Was Mitchell Starc worth Rs.24.75 crore last year? Is he worth Rs.11.75 crore in IPL 2025? To ask those questions is to be ignorant of auction dynamics. No player is inherently 'worth' X or Y. If they are in an auction, they are worth the price they were bid for. Simple.

That said, it is a bit ironic that Starc has begun IPL 2025 with eight wickets in two games for his new team Delhi Capitals, including a match-winning 5/35 against pre-tournament favourites Sunrisers Hyderabad, and holds the Purple Cap.

When he was paid more than double of his current salary last year, he began the IPL with some off-colour performances. As with mutual funds, there is a fine print for each player: prices paid at the auction are no ...