IPL 2023 player auction: Sam Curran, Cam Green, Ben Stokes draw record-breaking bids

It was a record-breaking Indian Premier League player auction on Friday, with Sam Curran, Cameron Green, Ben Stokes and Nicholas Pooran drawing the four highest-ever bids in the history of the T20 competition.

The IPL 2023 player auction in Kochi was expected to throw up some big numbers especially with the allrounders set.

IPL 2023, player auction blog

England all-rounder Sam Curran created history as he became the most expensive recruit ever in IPL auction history, with the Punjab Kings bidding a staggering Rs 18.5 crore for him.

Curran played a key role in England’s T20 World Cup triumph recently and was player of the tournament. Mumbai Indians were in the race to pick him up too, but PBKS held firm till the end and seemed elated with their big recruit.

Mumbai, however, acquired Green soon after, with the Australian all-rounder becoming the second-most expensive recruit ever in the IPL at Rs 17.5 crore.

Ben Stokes then matched Chris Morris (2021) for the third-highest bid ever as Chennai Super Kings acquired the star all-rounder’s services for Rs 16.25 crore.

In Set 3, West Indies batter Pooran got the joint fourth-highest bid ever as the Lucknow Super Giants acquired the West Indies batter for Rs 16 crore.

Earlier, in the first set of the day, it was England batter Harry Brook who set the ball rolling with a whopping Rs 13.25 crore bid from the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The right-hander was part of England’s T20 World Cup-winning squad before playing a key role in the T20I and Test series in Pakistan recently.

More to follow