Marco Jansen was on fire in Durban. In a matter of 81 minutes, the tall left-arm pacer claimed 7 wickets at Kingsmead. These scalps came in just 6.5 overs, i.e., a wicket every six balls. Fascinatingly, the number 7 has another reference. No, not MS Dhoni. Jansen was picked up for Rs 7 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. To pay an ode to his new team, the Punjab Kings, he decided he’ll dismiss the same number of Sri Lankan batters as the amount paid to him in crores.
Marco Jansen’s 2024 form
The all-rounder has been in exceptional form in 2024. Although he hasn’t played Test cricket since the start of the year, he’s played nearly 50 matches (most of them T20). In the most recent 4-match T20I series against India, Jansen was at his absolute best.
In three of the four matches, he didn’t concede over 30 runs and got one scalp in each of these matches. He even scored a 16-ball half-century, which happens to be the quickest against India. His bowling was always great, but he was often wayward. This series showed that it wasn’t the case anymore. Additionally, although he always had batting talent, he didn’t showcase it enough.
7 crore, to less for Jansen?
Given that this just came a few days before the IPL auction, Jansen was on the radar of multiple sides. One might even say that he earned much less than he deserved. But, by wrecking Sri Lanka, he’s shown that his line, length, and control are immaculate. Somewhere Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia might be punching the air in delight, thinking they’ll get him cheaply given the immense potential he had.
