Aussie makes history as highest-priced overseas IPL player in record deal – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Topic:Cricket
Cameron Green (right) has broken the record for the highest sale of an overseas player in IPL history. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)
Cameron Green broke the record for the highest-paid overseas player in IPL history.
The all-rounder will join the Kolkata Knight Riders after being bought for $4.17 million.
The IPL season is set to begin in March 2026 and run through to May.
Cameron Green has received a pre-Test confidence boost in becoming the highest-priced overseas player in Indian Premier League history, bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for 252 million rupees ($4.17 million).
At Tuesday night's player auction for the 2026 season, the Australian all-rounder was the subject of intense bidding between Kolkata and Chennai Super Kings before being purchased by the three-time champions.
His earnings are capped at just under $3 million under a new IPL regulation with the rest of the money paid by KKR going to the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to support player welfare.
The 26-year-old received the news of his lucrative signing while preparing for the third Test against England starting on Wednesday.
"He adds lot to our team, especially with our new power coach Andre Russell, very nice to have a young all-rounder," KKR's CEO Venky Mysore said of Green.
"Him having had IPL experience, we know what he does with bat and ball. Couldn't be happier."
Green previously played for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru but missed the 2025 season after back surgery,
In 29 IPL matches he has averaged 41.6 with the bat at a strike rate of 153.7, with a top score of 100 not out, while he's taken 16 wickets at 41.5 and an economy rate of 9.07.
The West Australian's price eclipsed Australia teammate Mitch Starc's $4m figure for 2024, when also bought by the Knight Riders.
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Starc, now with Delhi Capitals, was not in this year's auction. He is one of 10 Australians already retained, along with Test teammates Pat Cummins and Travis Head, both at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Josh Hazlewood, currently injured, has unsurprisingly been kept on by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
But Steve Smith headed a list of Aussies who went unsold. In his case he did not even come up for offer with none of the teams requesting to bid on him.
Five other Australians were also recruited. Josh Inglis will head to Lucknow, Ricky Ponting's Punjab Kings added Ben Dwarshuis and Cooper Connolly to their coterie of Aussies. Matt Short joined Chennai and Hyderabad made Jack Edwards the only uncapped overseas hire.
That brought to 16 the number of Australian players involved in the 19th edition of the IPL, which begins on March 26, with several others among coaching staff, notably Ponting and Justin Langer.
AAP
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