3 players who earned more than ₹7 crore but scored less than 70 runs in IPL 2024 ft. Glenn Maxwell
IPL 2024 culminated last night in Chennai. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) became three-time IPL champions by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a lopsided final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Mitchell Starc justified the KKR team management's decision to invest ₹24.75 crore for his services in IPL 2024. The left-arm pacer won the Man of the Match award in the final for his fiery spell of 2/14 in the three overs he bowled in the powerplay. Even in Qualifier 1, Starc won the Man of the Match award for taking three wickets.
While Starc proved to be an excellent investment, the following three expensive names could not do justice to the massive amount spent by their respective franchises to acquire them in IPL 2024.
#1 Glenn Maxwell - 52 runs for ₹11 crore in IPL 2024
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was one of the three players retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) before the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. RCB spent ₹11 crore to retain him, and he returned with at least a couple of incredible batting performances in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
However, in 2024, Maxwell could not justify his price tag of ₹11 crore. The Aussie all-rounder played 10 matches, managing just 52 runs in nine innings. Notably, he scored 28 runs in one match against Kolkata Knight Riders, meaning he scored only 24 runs in the other eight innings.
Maxwell's most impactful performance came in the do-or-die match against Chennai Super Kings. He hit a five-ball 16 and then dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for a golden duck to help RCB qualify. While Maxwell did a great job against CSK, his overall performance in IPL 2024 was not up to the mark.
#2 Devdutt Padikkal - 38 runs for ₹7.75 crore in IPL 2024
When Lucknow Super Giants acquired Devdutt Padikkal from Rajasthan Royals in the trade window, it seemed like he would open the batting with Quinton de Kock or Kyle Mayers. Reports claimed that KL Rahul was considering batting in the middle-order, which is why Padikkal's move to LSG made sense.
However, when the season started, Rahul opened the batting with de Kock, while Padikkal batted at number three. Padikkal struggled to get going in all the games he played. Eventually, he ended the tournament with 38 runs in seven matches at an average of 5.42 and a strike rate of 71.69.
#3 Kumar Kushagra - 3 runs for ₹7.2 crore in IPL 2024
Delhi Capitals (DC) raised many eyebrows when they went all out for uncapped wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra and snapped him up for ₹7.2 crore at the auction. Many fans expected Kushagra to be a regular part of DC's match squad, but the youngster got only four chances.
He batted in three innings but could score just three runs at an average of one and a strike rate of 42.85. He had an opportunity to emerge as a hero for DC in their away game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but the youngster got out for one run, trapped in front of his stumps by Mohammed Siraj.