Abu Dhabi, December 16
Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore expressed his satisfaction after the franchise secured Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 25.20 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The deal made Green the third-most expensive player in IPL history and the most expensive overseas player ever in the league.
Sharing the thought process behind the aggressive bidding, Mysore said the franchise was keen on the all-rounder but remained measured throughout the auction.
"Very happy, something we were focused on and hoping. Happy with the price with which we got him. Always a concern as to what we would've done had the price gone higher. Fact is we were very keen, but not so attached," he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Mysore explained that KKR were prepared to step back if the bid began affecting their overall auction strategy.
"If we felt it would affect rest of the auction, we would've let it go. Fortunately, it came within the range we were looking at," he added.
Highlighting Green's value to the squad, Mysore said the Australian brings balance and depth, especially alongside senior players.
"He adds a lot to our team, especially with our new power coach Andre Russell. Very nice to have a young all-rounder," he noted.
The KKR CEO also pointed to Green's familiarity with the league as a major plus.
"Him having had IPL experience, we know what he does with bat and ball. Couldn't be happier," Mysore said.
"Tough to say how far we would've gone. A lot of it would've depended on the rest of the plans. We were getting close," he added.
Initially, Rajasthan Royals and KKR entered an intense bidding war, with the Royals opting out at around Rs 13 crores and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which entered the bidding, taking the price way beyond Rs 20 crores. CSK bid Rs 25 crores, and KKR followed it with a 25.20 crores bid and won the war.
Green has scored 521 runs in 21 T20Is matches at an average of 32.56, SR of 160.30, with six fifties and has 12 wickets averaging 23.35. He has scored 1,334 runs in 63 T20S at an average of 33.35, SR of 151.07, with a century and seven fifties and taken 28 wickets averaging above 34.
The young Aussie all-rounder featured in the 2023 and 2024 IPL seasons with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), scoring 707 runs in 29 matches at an average of 41.58, with an SR of 153-plus, a century and two fifties and took 16 wickets at an average of above 41.5. But he did not participate in last season's auction due to injury.
- ANI
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