‘It was a special night’ - Daryl Mitchell opens up after CSK pull out all the stops during IPL auction

With the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) looming on the horizon, the recently concluded auction for the marquee tournament saw many players attract huge bids, and star New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was one of them as well.

The 32-year-old was roped in by defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the auction for INR 14 crore. Talking of the moment, Mitchell opined that when you see the paddles going up for you in the auction, the heartbeat starts going up, and he talks of how excited he was to join CSK ahead of the IPL 2024.

"Yeah, your heart starts to pump a little bit as you see the paddles going up. And yeah, having been through an auction before and going unsold, it was a special night last night to experience that, and now to obviously be part of the Chennai Super Kings is an exciting time," Daryl Mitchell was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. 

"[Elder daughter] Addie's birthday today, so there was a bit of wrapping up presents and stuff like that while the auction was going on. At the auction, you don't quite know exactly when you're going to come up in the list. So yeah, I guess we were just trying to keep ourselves busy and watching it, and then, when it popped up, I guess you end up being glued to the screen to see what happens,” he added. 

Your phone goes off pretty quickly: Mitchell

Daryl Mitchell also talked of how, after being bought in the auction, his phone went off very quickly, and the franchise got in touch with him. He also revealed that he was still pinching himself, as he could not believe how lucky and grateful he had been to get the opportunity.

"As soon as it's all done, your phone goes off pretty quickly, and Chennai get in touch with you, speak with the manager and Flem [head coach Stephen Fleming], in contact with them to get a few things sorted and becoming part of the Chennai Super Kings team. It all happens pretty quickly. At the moment, I guess I am still pinching myself [because of] how lucky and grateful I am for this opportunity and looking forward to getting stuck into it in a few months' time,” Mitchell said.