Before the IPL 2023 mini-auction, cricket pundits had expected Cameron Green to fetch big bucks. As it turned out, the Australian all-rounder was roped in by Mumbai Indians (MI) for a whopping INR 17.50 crore, making him the second costliest purchase in the history of auctions.
Green’s entry into the auction ring triggered a fierce bidding war between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in a three-way face-off. In the end, the five-time IPL champions secured his services.
Speaking on Star Sports show 'Cricket Live – Auction Special', Cameron Green admitted that he was nervous while watching teams going after him in the auction.
"I'm pinching myself that this has all happened. It's such a weird feeling watching an auction for yourself. I can't believe how nervous I was and I was shaking like anything when the final call was confirmed. I've always been a huge fan of the IPL and it's going to be so cool to be a part of it. The Mumbai Indians are one of the powerhouses of the competition so I feel very humbled to be joining them. I can't wait to get there next year," he said.
With this deal, Green will now be able to rub shoulders with MI stars like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav.
"I think joining such a great team in Mumbai, we obviously got such a history, all the past players that have played for them, and how great they are and how good the team is at the moment. I think you can look through all the players, playing with them, Rohit, Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav to name a few. Yeah, having Tim David, Jason Behrendorff also from Australia, so I'm so excited. We've got so much talent that you can learn off them and improve your own game. I loved my time in India for the two weeks then, so I'm happy I'm going to come back and be playing with the Mumbai Indians," he added.
Having made his international debut in December 2020, Cameron Green has established himself as one of the world’s leading all-rounders. He has represented Australia in 17 Tests, 13 ODIs and eight T20Is so far, scoring over 1100 runs and claiming 34 wickets.
In T20Is, Green has scored 139 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 173.53 while he has taken five scalps.
