Cameron Green and Ben Stokes also rake in the big bucks as allrounders spark intense bidding wars
When Punjab Kings outbid Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to acquire England all-rounder Sam Curran for INR 18.25 crore, he beat Chris Morris’ previous record (INR 16.25 crore) (USD 2.25 million).
Curran, who is reunited with the team that initially accepted him into the IPL with a bid of INR 7.2 crore in 2019, is now the most expensive player in IPL history. With the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Curran was named Player of the Final and Tournament. Since September of current year, he has taken 25 wickets in 14 T20 matches at an economy rate of 7.08. Additionally, he has improved his ability to bat against spin, posting averages of 27.07 and 154.69 strike rates in 31 T20 innings since 2020.
Mumbai bid as much as INR 18 crore to try to line-up Curran with Jofra Archer, their other high-profile England acquisition from the previous year’s auction, but Punjab, who had started the auction with the second greatest budget, ultimately outbid Mumbai. Shortly after failing to acquire Curran, Mumbai was successful in acquiring Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for INR 17.50 crore, making him the second-most expensive player ever to be acquired in an IPL auction.
