NEW DELHI: The 10 franchises went out on a shopping spree as the Indian Premier League 2023 auction turned out to be a record-breaking affair in Kochi on Friday.
International players, the all-rounders in particular, laughed their way to the banks as the franchise owners shelled out millions, without any hesitation, catering to the demands and needs of their teams.
It was a great time to be an Englishman as three of the top five biggest buys at the auction were from the birthplace of cricket. The mini-auction saw big names attracting big bucks as the auction process swiveled around all-rounders.
Here's a look at 5 most expensive buys at the IPL 2023 auction:
England all-rounder Sam Curran became the most expensive player in the history of IPL auctions as he fetched a whopping Rs 18.5 crore bid from Punjab Kings. Curran returned to Punjab for the staggering sum following a fierce three-way bidding war involving the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Punjab.
Player of the Tournament in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Curran, previously represented Punjab in 2019. "Back to where it all started! Looking forward to it," tweeted the 24-year-old.
Curran's price surpassed the previous highest bid of Rs 16.25 crore, paid by the Rajasthan Royals for South African all-rounder Chris Morris in 2021.
Cameron Green (Australia)
Cameron Green became the most expensive Australian purchase in the IPL auction history in a Rs 17.5 crore payday as Mumbai Indians invested in the future. Green surpassed Pat Cummins, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 15.5 crore in 2020.
Green was the second biggest buy of the mini-auction after Sam Curran.
"I'm pinching myself that this has all happened. It's such a weird feeling watching an auction for yourself. I can't believe how nervous I was and I was shaking like anything when the final call was confirmed. I've always been a huge fan of the IPL and it's going to be so cool to be a part of it. The Mumbai Indians are one of the powerhouses of the competition so I feel very humbled to be joining them. I can't wait to get there next year.," Green said in comments released by Cricket Australia.
Ben Stokes (England)
The color of Ben Stokes IPL jersey turned yellow as Chennai Super Kings snapped the England Test captain for Rs 16.25 crore after a fierce bidding battle with Lucknow Super Giants.
Making up for missing out on Sam Curran, Chennai capped Stokes for the third highest buy of the day.
With Dhoni, in all likelihood set to feature in his last IPL next season and Chennai struggling for a leader, Stokes' purchase comes as a major boost for the Southern franchise.
Nicholas Pooran (West Indies)
Swashbuckling Trinidadian Nicholas Pooran is yet to set the IPL stage on fire with the bat but on Friday he got the backing of Lucknow Super Giants thinktank as they shelled out a whopping Rs 16 crore to buy the former West Indian skipper.
Pooran became the fourth highest buy of the 2023 auction. Entering the bid with a base price of Rs 2 crore, Pooran bid invited an initial three-way battle with Delhi, Rajasthan and Chennai gunning for the stylish wicketkeeper-batter. But then, Lucknow joined in late and eventually sealed the deal, outbidding the other franchises.
The last time, Pooran was bought by Hyderabad at the auction for Rs 10.75 crore but released last season after an under-par show.
Harry Brook (England)
Harry Brook became the first millionaire of the day at the IPL 2023 auction as Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him for their first buy for Rs 13.25 crore after head-to-head battle with Rajasthan.
Brook, who made his England T20I and Test debuts this year collected a cheque more than 8 times his base price of Rs 1.5 crore, becoming the most expensive specialist batsman ever sold at a mini-auction.
Brook recently struck 3 hundreds in as many games, setting a new record for most runs by an England batter in a Test series in Pakistan.
