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SRH bag Harry Brook for Rs 13.25 cr, Mayank Agarwal for Rs 8.25 cr
England batter Harry Brook on Friday became the first millionaire at the IPL 2023 Mini Auction after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped him up for a whopping Rs 13.25 crore.
Apart from Brook, Sunrisers Hyderabad also picked India opener, Mayank Agarwal, for Rs 8.25 crore
On the other hand, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was sold for Rs 2 crore to defending champions Gujarat Titans while former India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was roped in by CSK at his base price of Rs 50 lakh.
Meanwhile, former England captain Joe Root (base price Rs 1 crore) and South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw (base price Rs 2 crore) went unsold.
Sam Curran – 18.5 cr; Cameron Green – 17.5 cr
England all-rounder Sam Curran on Friday became the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history after Punjab Kings bought him for a whopping Rs 18.50 crore at the 2023 mini-auction of the cash-rich tournament.
There was intense bidding between MI, CSK, RR, LSG, and PBKS for Curran, who was Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup in Australia. However, PBKS eventually got the England all-rounder.
After Curran, Australia all-rounder Cameron Green also attracted big bids from franchises and became the second-most expensive player in the IPL history after Mumbai Indians picked him for a whopping Rs 17.5 crore.
Before this auction, South African all-rounder Chris Morris was the most expensive buy in the IPL. He was signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 16.25 crore in the 2021 auction.
Meanwhile, the England Test captain Ben Stokes was sold to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 16.25 crore after fierce bids with LSG and SRH.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals bought Jason Holder for 5.75 crore and the likes of Odean Smith and Sikandar Raza were sold at Rs 50 lakh each to Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings respectively. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan went unsold.
Earlier, England batter Harry Brook became the first millionaire at the IPL 2023 mini auction after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped him up for a whopping Rs 13.25 crore.
Ben Stokes – 16.25 crore
With England Test captain Ben Stokes being acquired by four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 16.25 crore in the IPL 2023 mini-auction in Kochi on Friday, Australia’s T20 World Cup winning captain Aaron Finch thinks the pace all-rounder is someone who can structure out any side tremendously well.
Stokes entered the auction at INR 2 crore. Royal Challengers Bangalore competed with Rajasthan Royals before Lucknow Super Giants entered the bid at INR 7 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad too entered the fray shortly, followed by CSK.
Eventually, the MS Dhoni-captained side roped him in for the third joint-highest paycheck ever in the IPL, surpassing the one the franchise paid for Deepak Chahar in the 2022 mega auction.
Stokes was part of a bank-breaking all-rounder’s set in which his England team-mate Sam Curran became the most expensive player with INR 18.5 crores signing by Punjab Kings while Mumbai Indians got Australia’s Cameron Green at a price of INR 17.5 crores.
“Oh, absolutely, I think Chennai have a history of going after experienced players, knowing what they want. And when you compliment that with the rest of the squad, it’s so balanced when you throw that world-class all-rounder in there.”
“I think the only separation between Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green is Sam Curran’s ability to bowl in the last five overs. His record has been unbelievable. So, that probably gives him the nod if you’re going down the road of a bowling all-rounder.”
“But Ben Stokes, he structures out any side tremendously well because he can bat in the top four, he can bat in the top six, and you can almost bank on him to bowl four overs as well. So, that’s a huge asset and I’m not surprised that all three of those guys have been paid what they have been paid there,” said Finch on Cricket Live – Auction Special show on Star Sports.
Ex-Australia opener Simon Katich wasn’t surprised over the whopping amount Curran got, considering he was Player of the Tournament in 2022 T20 World Cup triumph for England and was Player of the match in the final against Pakistan.
“Yeah, no surprises for Sam Curran, he’s had a fantastic 2022 around the world. He obviously missed last year with his back injury but at 24 years of age, there’s a huge upside to him. He’s a competitor and obviously, he’s played for Punjab Kings before so I think he’s a good pick for them.”
Katich was also pleased with Green being roped in by Mumbai, the five-time IPL winners. “Also, I like the fact that Mumbai picked up Cameron Green. I think he’s someone who’s going to be suited to the Wankhede with his bounce and can bowl with the new ball and then he can free up Archer and Bumrah to bowl in the middle and the back end.”
“So, I think he brings a lot of balance in that team and they can bat him anywhere in the order, given that Kishan batted at 4 before. So, Cameron Green is a flexible player and he’s got a huge upside as well, so no surprise that the all-rounders there have fetched big bucks.”
