KOCHI: Sam Curran and Cameron Green broke all-time Indian Premier League (IPL) auction records as they were picked on Friday for Rs 18.50 crore and Rs 17.50 crore by Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, respectively
Curran set a new record, surpassing South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris who was snatched up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore in 2021.
Curran was Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup after his skills as a “death bowler” closing down opposition batsmen in the final overs turned him into a potent weapon for England.
The left-arm quick and attacking middle-order batsman had a successful stint with Chennai Super Kings but parted ways after a back injury and missed the 2022 edition.
Curran has a strike rate of nearly 150 and was placed in the top band of the auction list alongside big-hitting compatriot Ben Stokes.
Star all-rounder Ben Stokes was sold to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 16.25 crore.
Earlier, England batter Harry Brook had become the first millionaire at the IPL 2023 Mini Auction after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped him up for a whopping Rs 13.25 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad also picked India opener, Mayank Agarwal, for Rs 8.25 crores.
New Zealand veteran batter and skipper Kane Williamson was bought by the defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans for his base price of Rs 2 crore.
Williamson had an ordinary IPL 2022 with SRH. In 13 matches, he could only score 216 runs in 13 matches at an average of 19.64 with just one fifty. His strike rate was also extremely sub-par at 93.51. He was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2023 auction in November.
In 13 T20Is this year, Williamson scored 443 runs at an average of 36.91 with three fifties. His strike rate, however, has been a little subpar for T20I standards, sitting at 118.76.
Out-of-favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane was sold at his base price of Rs 50 lakh to Chennai Supper Kings, the only bidder for the player.
West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 5.75 crore.
South Africa batter Rilee Rossouw and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan went unsold.
The soon-to-be 24-year-old Harry Brook had recently emerged as the leading run-scorer in the Test series against Pakistan, scoring 468 runs at an average of 93.60, with three centuries and one half-century and the best score of 153. He was also given the ‘Man of the Series’ for his superb performance in the longer format.
Brook was also given the ‘Man of the Series’ award for his superb show in the seven-match T20I series against the Asian giants that took place in September-October as a part of the tour. In seven innings, he scored 238 runs at an average of 79.33, with one half-century and the best score of 81*.
Meanwhile, former England captain Joe Root (base price Rs 1 crore) and South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw (base price Rs 2 crore) went unsold.
Eighty-seven players went under the hammer in the auction.
The IPL tournament made more than $11 billion for the economy each year, according to pre-pandemic estimates.
In June, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sold the broadcast rights for the next five seasons to global media giants for $6.2 billion.
This year it expanded to include 10 franchises battling it out in 74 matches, climaxing in a final in the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad in front of 105,000 fans — and millions more watching on television and smartphones.
Debutants Gujarat Kings won that battle on their home ground.
The Mumbai Indians are the richest and most successful side in IPL history with five titles to their name.
Attracting some of world cricket’s top stars with bumper salaries, the IPL helped make Twenty20 hugely popular, attracting hundreds of millions of viewers and spawning copycat events worldwide.
The BCCI is also working to launch a five-team women’s edition of the tournament next March, ahead of the next IPL season.
