Sam Curran became the most expensive purchase at an IPL auction, surpassing Chris Morris’ record of INR 16.25 crore, when Punjab Kings outbid five other teams to sign him for INR 18.50 crore (roughly USD 2.25 million).
Curran was reunited with the franchise that first brought him into the IPL in 2019 with an INR 7.2-crore bid. At that price, he is also the most expensive player in IPL history, even more so than retained players like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
At the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, the England allrounder was named Player of the Final and Tournament. Since September of this year, he has taken 25 wickets in 14 T20 matches at an economy rate of 7.08. Additionally, he has improved his batting, particularly against spin: He has a strike rate of 154.69 and an average of 27.07 in 31 T20 innings since 2020.
Curran stated to Star Sports, “Absolutely overwhelmed and incredibly humbled to receive that bid.” I played my first season in Punjab a few years ago; this season will be very different, but I know the stadium in Mohali well enough to know that our teammates will undoubtedly assist me. I am incredibly excited to travel to India for this significant opportunity. I’m thinking about so many things. I couldn’t find a stream at 9 a.m. today because the auction wasn’t on TV in England. I watched it while sitting with my girlfriend and her father. Because I thought I was behind and didn’t want to see any congratulations messages, I actually turned off my phone. Having previously played for Chennai, it was cool to see the bids coming from Mumbai and Chennai.
Sam Curran in MI
Mumbai Indians tried to combine Curran with Jofra Archer, their other big-ticket England signing from the previous auction, but Punjab, who had started the auction with the second-largest purse, eventually outbid them. Mumbai acquired Cameron Green for INR 17.50 crore shortly after failing to acquire Curran. This made the 23-year-old Australian all-rounder the second most expensive player in IPL auction history.
“I can’t believe this has all happened. Being present at an auction is such an odd experience. Green stated, “I can’t believe how nervous I was, and when the final call was confirmed, I was shaking like nothing had ever happened.” It will be so cool to be a part of the IPL, which I have always adored. I am extremely humbled to be joining the Mumbai Indians, one of the competition’s powerhouses. I can’t wait to go the following year.”
In the past six months, Green’s T20 stock has risen significantly. After Josh Inglis suffered an injury while playing golf, he was added to Australia’s T20 World Cup roster at the last minute. After a prolific T20I series in India this year, in which he scored 214.54 runs at the top of the order and scored 118 runs, including two half-centuries, Green attracted a lot of attention from IPL team scouts. At the auction, his ability to bowl quickly and bat anywhere in the order went in his favor.