The second-most expensive buy in the history of the Indian Premier League, Australia all-rounder Cameron Green, has been unassuming about his Rs 17.50 crore price tag, saying he “didn’t do much” to deserve the kind of money he attracted during the player auction.

The 23-year-old had an amazing week after a winning bid from Mumbai Indians saw him be second in the ‘rich-list’, just behind England all-rounder Sam Curran, who fetched Rs 18.5 crore from Punjab Kings.

On Monday, the tall Green, who bowls medium pace, destroyed the South African batting line-up by claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests and helped Australia dismiss the visitors for 189 on Day I of the Boxing Day Test.

Green claimed that the big purse will not change him or the way he plays his cricket.

“To be fair, I think I didn’t do much to kind of earn that,” said Green.

“I just put my name into the auction, and it just happened. It doesn’t change who I am or how I think and all the confidence I have in my cricket. Hopefully, I didn’t change too much,” he added.

Green emerged the second-most costly buy in the auction held in Kochi after a bidding war between Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians.

While Green stays casual and humble despite hitting a fortune in his IPL deal, his franchise owners were elated to get his services. Here’s what Akash Ambani had to say about the Australian after Friday’s auction: “Cameron is a player we have tracked for the last two-three years and with his recent performances, we thought he is exactly the one we needed. He fits the right age profile for us, we have focused on younger players in the last two-three auctions. So Cameron gives us lifetime value.”

Green believes that for an all-rounder like him, workload management was the key to longevity. The youngster, whose bowling load has had to be reduced due to lower-back complaints, added that if one is trying to excel both as a batter and as a bowler, the key is to prioritise things.

“I think your priorities change. You take a lot of your care in your bowling when you’re just a bowler. You have that rhythm because you’re bowling 20 overs an innings basically. That’s probably the main difference (between being a bowler and an all-rounder).

“It’s tough if you’re trying to do both equally. You have to try and prioritise one of them, because you’re going to put too much pressure on yourself if you try too hard at both,” said Green.

He added that in the leadup to a match, he prioritises his batting, while on game days he pays more attention to his bowling.

“I try to prioritise my batting in the weeks leading up to the game. Then on game day, you’ve hit plenty of balls that week, so it’s prioritising your bowling and getting your body right, backing all the training you’ve done prior,” said Green.

Written with inputs from PTI