IPL 2023: 5 players on whom most teams placed bids at auction

1. Sam Curran

Sam Curran has been a prominent figure in the shortest format of the game. Be it in the international arena or the franchise leagues, he has made a mark with his all-round performances. The 24-year-old has featured in 145 T20 games and bagged 149 wickets at an economy of 8.43. On the batting front, he has scored 1731 runs at a strike rate of 135.65. 

Curran was quite exceptional for England in the last calendar year. He played 19 T20Is and picked up 25 wickets at an economy of 7.56. The left-arm pacer also took the T20 World Cup 2022 by storm with his bowling displays. He was Jos Buttler’s go-to man at the death and bagged 13 wickets in six matches at an economy of 6.52. 

The ace all-rounder has displayed his ability to bowl at any phase of the game. Also, he is a useful contributor with the bat and can act as a floater in the batting line-up. A player of Curran’s caliber is an asset to any side and thus, franchises went into the bidding war to pick him at the 2023 player auction. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals made bids for the England all-rounder at the marquee event. Eventually, PBKS bought Curran at a staggering sum of INR 18.5 crore, making him the most expensive player in IPL history.