New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell revealed that he learned about his million-dollar deal with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL Auction while celebrating his elder daughter’s birthday on December 19. Mitchell said that he started receiving calls from his new IPL team, Chennai Super Kings, minutes after being sold for Rs 14 crore (approximately US$1,687,000) at the Dubai mini-auction.
Mitchell, an established member of the New Zealand national team across formats after 20 Tests, 39 ODIs, and 56 T20Is, was a member of the Rajasthan Royals in 2022 but made only two appearances in the first XI. This opportunity, he hopes, will help him in more ways than one, not just in cricket.
“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,” Mitchell said in a chat with reporters back in New Zealand.
“[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.
“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.”
Mitchell is eagerly looking forward to joining the Chennai Super Kings team and feels fortunate for this opportunity. He believes this situation will help set up his family in many ways and allow his daughters to grow up and enjoy the things they love.
“It’s my oldest daughter’s fifth birthday today, so I got her a pretty good present waking up. Not that she understands what’s going on, but yeah, look, I guess that’s the whole thing about these sorts of situations, it will help us set up the family in many ways, [the two daughters can] grow up and enjoy the things they love, and for me, that’s the really cool thing about it, and they are the reason why you do all this.
