Roped In By KKR At INR 9.4 Crore, Mitchell Starc Was Paid Hefty Sum Regardless Of Missing IPL 2018

Australian speedster Mitchell Starc, who is almost certain of finding a buyer during Indian Premier League 2024 auction next week, is also expected to earn big bucks for returning to the cash-rich league after as many as nine years.

Scheduled to begin around the third week of March, IPL 2024 will culminate a few days before ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies and USA. Starc, much like numerous other overseas players, will be participating in the 17th season of the IPL to earn a much-needed exposure to the format before a showpiece event at the global level.

However, his last association with the biggest T20 league had resulted in a legal battle which was solved over 30 months after IPL 2018 auction.

Bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping INR 9.4 crore ($1.8 million) before the 11th IPL season, Starc missed the season due to a fracture of his right tibial bone. Thus, unwittingly sparking a legal battle.

Mitchell Starc Was Paid Hefty Sum Regardless Of Missing IPL 2018

Having paid a premium of $97,920 and bought a $1.53 million insurance to cover up for the financial aspect in case of missing out on action due to an injury, Starc had rightly expected to be covered by the firm only to find the timing, extent and status of his injury being questioned by the insurers.

As per Starc, bowling on uneven footmarks on a worn-out pitch during the third Test match of Australia’s tour of South Africa 2018 in Cape Town caused him discomfort at first. However, his insurers weren’t convinced.

The validation and justification of Starc’s injury were essential to them to give him the insurance money. As a result, Starc involved his Mills Oakley Lawyers after initial rounds of mediation talks failed. The insurers, on the other hand, were represented by Clyde and Co. Lawyers.

“In my opinion, the plaintiff did not suffer an injury or accident on 10 March 2018. Mr Starc became aware of the onset of right posterior and posteriolateral calf pain during the course of the second Test. Onset appears to have been gradual and symptoms continued over the course of the Test,” Dr Seamus Dalton, acting on behalf of the insurer, had said as per Sydney Morning Herald.

In August 2020, Starc finally won an off the field clash post consultation with Melbourne-based orthopaedic surgeon Russel Miller, who ratified that the injury had indeed occured on March 10, 2018, due to extreme physical activity, including bowling on a pitch with “uneven footmarks”.

For the unversed, only a team insurance was available around the start of the IPL as individual foreign players “couldn’t avail of Indian policies” back then. However, by 2019, opting for an insurance coverage became a common norm among overseas players because the “rewards were greater than ever”. According to a The Guardian article in 2019, a minimum of 50% is paid to a policyholder just for showing up fit to the tournament.

During his maiden two-year IPL stint for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Starc was bought for INR 5 crore. RCB, much like a few other teams, would be eager to acquire Starc’s services for the forthcoming season. With a remaining purse of INR 23.25 crore, it could be possible for them to purchase Starc assuming they decide to spend at least more than 50% of it on him.