Before the IPL 2024 auction, Aakash Chopra questioned the Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) decision to retain Sam Curran for an outrageous amount.
Among PBKS’ 17 retentions before this season’s auction was Curran, who was purchased for ₹18.50 crore at the IPL 2023 auction. The IPL 2014 winners released seven players before the auction. The only high-profile player they did not release was Shahrukh Khan (₹9 crore).
Sam Curran’s retention by Punjab Kings for 18.50 crore is questioned by Aakash Chopra
In a video posted on his YouTube account, Chopra showed his astonishment at the Punjab Kings’ choice to keep Curran on staff. “I was astonished,” he thought to himself. Why did you keep Sam Curran on staff? 18.50 crore rupees have been parked at one location.
He’s a highly pricey asset, but I won’t label him a non-performing asset. Because there were only three all-rounders in the limited auction, he was sold for 18.50 crore rupees.”
But based on his achievements in the most recent IPL, the SA20, and the previous year, he hasn’t accomplished anything noteworthy in the last 12 to 17 months. The former India opener said, “He just performed well in the 2022 T20 World Cup. It was important too since the side boundaries were very big in Australia.”
Curran’s IPL 2023 campaign was uneventful; in 14 games, he claimed 10 wickets at an economy rate of 10.22. He did, however, do rather well at the bat, amassing 276 runs at a strike rate of 135.96 in 13 innings.
“Is that the Trevor Bayliss connection?” Aakash Chopra on Sam Curran’s retention by the Punjab Kings
Aakash Chopra questioned if the Punjab Kings were able to keep Sam Curran because Trevor Bayliss was the head coach. He stated, “He ought to have been freed. There was a repurchase option if you wanted it. Punjab stated they’d keep him with them. But you could have had him back for half the money, if not less. Is that the connection to Trevor Bayliss? I’m not sure; I’m just thinking.”
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