New Delhi, Dec 16 Former India cricketer Anil Kumble wants Cameron Green to play as an opener for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after he emerged as the most expensive overseas buy at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction so far, and the third most expensive purchase in the history of the tournament.
Green made his IPL debut in the 2023 season after the Mumbai Indians (MI) bought him for Rs 17.5 crore. Notably, at the time, he became the second-most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history and the most expensive Australian player.
Most recently, he played in IPL 2024 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) after being traded in from MI. In 12 innings, he made 255 runs at a strike rate of 143.25 and picked up 10 wickets in 13 matches with the ball at an economy of 8.61.
“I would like to see him play the opening slot for KKR. I think, in terms of a finisher, KKR already have a decent line-up. They have Rinku Singh, for instance. I don’t think they utilised their resources well last season. If you compare it to the season when they won the trophy, it was a similar kind of line-up. Yes, of course, Shreyas Iyer, the skipper, was missing, and Mitchell Starc, the key fast bowler, was also missing. However, if you look at the kind of batting depth they had — Ramandeep Singh, Rovman Powell, and Rinku Singh; these are all capable and experienced batters who can operate in the No. 5, No. 6, and finisher roles. So I feel, they don’t need a Cameron Green to do that job. I would rather see him at the top of the order, either opening or at No. 3, depending on where Ajinkya Rahane wants to bat. Sunil Narine could drop down to No. 6 or No. 7 or even act as a floater," Kumble told JioStar.
However, the Australian all-rounder will take home only 18 crore, as per the new "maximum fee" rule. The "maximum fee" rule was brought in last year to address the collective concern of franchises that some overseas players were registering exclusively at mini auctions to exploit the supply-demand imbalance.
As per the rule, the overseas player cannot be paid more than Rs 18 crore, which was the highest slab for franchises retaining players ahead of the 2025 mega auction. If the bid exceeded the Rs 18-crore mark, the additional money would be utilised by the BCCI for player welfare.
South Africa's David Miller went to the Delhi Capitals at a base price of Rs 2 crore. Anil Kumble, on David Miller being sold to the Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore, believes Miller's experience will be valuable to the team.
“Experience is something the Delhi Capitals clearly lacked. While the uncapped batters did perform well last season — Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam, in particular, played the finisher’s role effectively. Adding someone with David Miller’s experience and ability is a big plus. Pairing him with Tristan Stubbs, his South African teammate, strengthens the middle order significantly. At that price, it’s an absolute steal for the Delhi Capitals. I thought Gujarat Titans might look to bring him back, but they seem likely to stick with Washington Sundar for that role. Overall, it’s a very smart move by Delhi Capitals to add experience — something they were missing last season.”
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