The highest-paid player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, Mitchell Starc had some troubled time in the 2024 season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), especially when the season wasn’t going as planned for him. However, the Australian pace icon redeemed himself in the knockouts phase of the campaign, delivering match-winning performances with the ball. He was crucial to KKR’s title-winning season, proving the owners right as the team lifted its third IPL title in history. However, even after KKR had won the title, Starc wasn’t luck enough to have his salary reminders completely eliminated.

In a chat on Willow Talk, Starc admitted being engaged in a cheeky chat with KKR youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi who mocked the IPL title-winning prize money. Starc, who got INR 24.75 crore for the 2024 IPL season, saw the entire team get a lower prize money amount (INR 20 crore) unfold in front of him as KKR lifted the title.

Mitchell Starc : “The IPL Final presentation didn’t start until the midnight & basically killed the Vibe.

Then cheques for winning team came over, it had INR 20CR price. Angkrish looked at that and said – Huh its not even what you got paid . pic.twitter.com/FhDpWb7qOD

— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) July 12, 2024

“The IPL Final presentation didn’t start until the midnight & basically killed the vibe. Then cheques for winning team came over, it had INR 20 crore price. Angkrish (Raghuvanshi) looked at that and said – Huh! it’s not even what you got paid,” he said in a video that surfaced on social media.

It is truly strange that a single player in a tournament of the stature of IPL gets more salary than the prize money that is rewarded to the winning team.

Angkrish, who himself was a revelation for KKR this year, playing in the middle-order in the absence of Nitish Rana in the early stages of the campaign, couldn’t resist poking fun at the fact.