Mumbai, Jan 2 : The mini-auction for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) delivered a record-equalling highest viewership on television with 22.8 million viewers, which is 29% higher than last year, tuned in to Stars Sports to watch the live bidding of players, equalling the highest viewership for any 'mini' auction in BARC history. The auction, which lasted over 6 hours, was held in Dubai at the Coca Cola Arena and was watched for a record-equalling watch-time of 0.92 billion minutes. This represents 57% growth in total watch-time compared to last year for the event. Star Sports' broadcast of the auction in 5 languages was preceded by extensive lead-up coverage to the auction, which included expert analysis and fan activations across linear and digital platforms. The live broadcast of IPL 2023 was watched by 505 million unique viewers on TV across the Star network, which was the highest-ever for any edition of the tournament. An additional 2.2 million viewers tuned in for the overall coverage of IPL Auction 2023 beyond the live event, which included a curtain-raiser on the eve of the auction and 'Cricket Live ' Auction Special', live shows before, during and after the event. The live broadcast of IPL 2023 was watched by 505 million unique viewers on TV across the Star network, which was the highest-ever for any edition of the tournament. The most-watched moments of IPL Auction 2024 were the headline-grabbing bidding wars for Australian stars Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who were bought by Sun Risers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively for more than 20 Crores each. CSK's winning bid of 14 Crore for New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell also featured in the 3 most watched moments from the auction. Speaking on the viewership of the IPL Mini-Auction 2024, a Star Sports spokesperson said: "A record-breaking year for Cricket viewership on Star Sports has ended on a high with the IPL Auction. The response to the auction also serves as a stellar start to the runway for IPL 2024 and reinforces the strong association of the marquee event with Star Sports. "A distinctive element in this year's auction coverage was the integration of fan sentiment in our coverage, in sync with BCCI and IPL teams' efforts to integrate fans in the proceedings at the venue. The success of the auction has provided an early taster of Star Sports' coverage and substantiated our confidence in continued growth of the marquee Cricket event on TV." /IANS