IPL 2024: 5 auction picks that turned out to be masterstrokes for teams

Yet another edition of the Indian Premier League has come to an end and it’s the Kolkata Knight Riders who lift the trophy this year. It was an enthralling season that saw ten teams competing over the span of two months and the fans were thoroughly entertained.

Prior to the start of the season, the ten franchises fought it out at the auction table and bought some of the best players to play for their teams. Some of those buys proved to be great calls as they helped out the side immensely.

Here are the 5 IPL 2024 auction picks that turned out to be masterstrokes for teams:

5. Shashank Singh

Shashank Singh. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

There was surely a lot of confusion during the IPL 2024 Auctions when the name Shashank Singh popped up at the event. Punjab Kings wanted to sign the younger Shashank but ended up purchasing the former Sunrisers Hyderabad batter. But the signing turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the batter became a key cog of the franchise over the course of this season.

The batter was able to amass 415 runs across the 14 games he played in the tournament this season. It was the impact of his knocks that made him a superstar for the Punjab Kings as he came out to bat during pressure situations and won them the game when the franchise had absolutely no chance of victory. From being a nobody to becoming one of the players who might be retained ahead of next season, Shashank Singh truly had a wonderful Indian Premier League campaign.

4. Travis Head 

Travis Head. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

After a glorious display across all formats in 2023, Travis Head was able to bag a contract in the Indian Premier League for the first time since 2016. Sunrisers Hyderabad signed the Australian opener for INR 6.50 Crores. The expectations were high from the opener but the team management decided against starting him for the opening game of the season.

But ultimately they corrected their mistake as he started all the games from there onwards. It was a great decision as his attacking intent from the first delivery itself was crucial to the side in setting big totals throughout the season. His consistency was also a great asset to have and was leading the run-scoring charts this season. The Australian opener had a poor run in the playoffs but despite that, he amassed 567 runs across the 15 matches he played this season.

3. Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel. (Source -Twitter/X)

The cricket world was shocked when Royal Challengers Bengaluru decided against retaining Harshal Patel for the 2024 season. But it turned out to be a great decision as far as Punjab Kings would see it as they were able to buy him during the auctions for INR 10.50 Crores.

Even though there was concern about his economy rate, he always used to chip away wickets in most of the games. He won the purple cap today as well despite his team not qualifying for the playoffs. The Team India pacer took 24 wickets across the 14 matches he played this season and was a regular for the franchise.

2. Mitchell Starc 

Mitchell Starc. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

Everyone was left shell-shocked as Kolkata Knight Riders fought off other teams to buy Australian pacer Mitchell Starc for a mammoth INR 24.75 Crores. The mentor of the franchise, Gautam Gambhir was confident that the pacer would be a great purchase for the team and would be the leader of their pace attack.

Starc turned out to be the most expensive buy in the history of the Indian Premier League. There were lots of concerns about his ability after a poor start to the campaign as he went wicketless and at a high economy for the opening few fixtures. However, the speedster proved his worth by getting the early wickets in most encounters in the second half of the tournament and was surely the bowler to watch out for in the playoffs. During the 14 matches he played this season, he was able to scalp 17 wickets as his side lifted the title earlier today.

1. Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins. (Source -Getty Images)

There was a lot of doubt after the IPL 2024 Auction on whether Pat Cummins would live up to his hefty price tag in his least preferred format of the game. There was a tense battle at the auction table between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they attempted to sign the Australian captain. Ultimately, the pacer went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping INR 20.50 Crores.

The investment surely turned out to be worthy as his performances helped out the team on most occasions. The pacer was handed the responsibility of leading the side and took the opportunity with both hands as he guided them to the IPL final but ultimately lost at the final hurdle. The Australian speedster grabbed 18 wickets across the 16 matches he played this season at a decent average of 31.