Sam Curran became the most expensive player in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) as he was bought by Punjab Kings for a whooping amount of ₹18.5 crore in the mini-auction held in Kochi on Friday. Curran saw an intense bidding war between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, before Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings joined. (Follow: IPL Auction 2023 LIVE updates)
Curran overtook Chris Morris in the process, who till date was the most expensive player having been purchased by Rajasthan Royals for ₹16.25 crore in the IPL 2021 mini-auction. He entered the auction as a hot property, with Universe Boss predicting franchises to break 16-17 crore barrier and so was the case.
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Soon after Curran's record-breaking price, social media was flooded with reactions. Former India and Chennai Super Kings batter Subramaniam Badrinath too had a funny take to the mind-boggling money. He tweeted: “Record broken, Raining currencies in Sam Curran’s garden..deservedly so..”
He was one of the key players in England's World Cup-winning squad in Australia, and was awarded as the Player of the Tournament. He was also named the Player of the Match in the final where England beat Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}He was one of the key players in England's World Cup-winning squad in Australia, and was awarded as the Player of the Tournament. He was also named the Player of the Match in the final where England beat Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}Curran didn't participate in the IPL mega auction in February 2022, as he was still recovering from a back injury.
Curran has represented Chennai Super Kings in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He made his IPL debut while representing Punjab Kings, who had roped in the all-rounder for Rs. 7.2 crore in 2019.
Curran will now be joining Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow in the Punjab camp. He has played a total 32 matches in three seasons, where he accumulated 337 runs at a strike rate of 149.78. He has also scalped 32 wickets at an economy of 9.21.
England's Barmy Army, a fan community, and renowned journalist Piers Morgan were left delighted with the news, calling it “Merry Christmas”.
Meanwhile, in the same set Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was roped in by Mumbai Indians for 17.50 crore. Later Ben Stokes was sold for the same price as Morris to Chennai Super Kings.