The much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction is all set to take place in Dubai on Tuesday (December 19).

Over the years, the IPL auction has become quite a spectacle as the intense bidding wars on top players garner a lot of interest among fans.

During the mini-auction last year, England all-rounder Sam Curran was snapped by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a whopping INR 18.50 Crore, making him the most expensive buy in the history of auctions.

This year, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is a front-runner to become the costliest purchase, with some even expecting the Australian pacer to breach the INR 20 Crore mark.

However, former Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Anil Kumble feels that no team should spend such a huge amount on a single player.

“No, I don’t think the ₹20 crore mark will be breached. This is where I feel in a squad of 25 players, where you have eight overseas players, the purse also needs to be one third for the overseas players. I think that’s something that should happen eventually,” Kumble said on JioCinema’s ‘Match Center Live Auction War Room’.

“Otherwise, you will see a lot of disparity at the auction. I know the overseas fans won’t be happy with what I am saying, but I think it’s important that you look at that to be a benchmark," he added.

“You have a separate overseas purse, otherwise you will see this disparity of 50%, 60% of the squad where you have options for only four players. With eight India players now part of the playing XI, that will help them, especially in these smaller auctions. There will be the challenge of bridging this gap and you will invariably go to the overseas players,” he explained.

Meanwhile, 333 players have been shortlisted to fill a maximum of 77 slots across 10 teams at the IPL 2024 auction. A total of 214 Indian and 119 overseas players will be up for grabs and only a handful of them will be picked at the event.

Besides Starc, World Cup hero Travis Head and New Zealand sensation Rachin Ravindra are likely to secure hefty deals as well.