The IPL auction is something not only fans but also cricket bettors dare not to miss. That’s because before they can check match predictions and yesterday’s IPL match results, the auction could give them a sense of which team will likely perform great in the upcoming season.
The 2023 IPL Auction has been an interesting one as it’s when we’ve seen some of the most expensive purchases in the history of the prestigious cricket tournament. Let’s have a look at the five biggest purchases on the auction held on December 23, 2022.
Harry Brook
Harry Brook is an English international cricketer who’s also part of the national English team. This 23-year-old right-handed batter will be making his IPL debut. During the auction, his starting price was Rs 1.5 crore and other franchises like Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals fought each other to get him.
However, Rajasthan Royals ended up battling it out with Sunrisers Hyderabad, and when the bid reached Rs 13 crore, RR already withdrew.
Brook has already appeared in 21 T20 and 9 100 Ball matches with the following batting statistics:
| Series | MP | Inns | NO | Runs | Balls | Ave | SR | HS | 100s | 50s | 25s | 0s | 4s | 6s |
| T20 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 429 | 295 | 26.81 | 145.42 | 102 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 32 | 18 |
Nicholas Pooran
This Trinidadian cricket has been playing in the IPL since 2017. He started with Mumbai Indian and is a wicket-keeper-batter. He also plays for Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indian domestic matches.
Throughout his IPL career, he’s also played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.
Pooran’s base price during the recent auction was Rs 2 crore, but this easily grew to Rs 16 crore which Lucknow Super Giants was happy to spend. So far, Pooran has already appeared in 47 IPL matches with these batting and fielding stats:
| Bating | MP | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | CT | ST |
| 47 | 44 | 9 | 912 | 77 | 26.06 | 154.24 | 0 | 4 | 52 | 65 | 19 | 1 |
Ben Stokes
Stokes is an English international player who also captains the England Test Team. This 31-year-old left-handed all-rounder has been playing in the IPL since 2017. He’s been part of the Rajasthan Royals since 2018.
During the recent auction, his starting bid was at Rs 2 crore, but Lucknow Super Giants was quick to raise this to Rs 7 crore. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals also entered the bidding war, but it was Chennai Super Kings that sealed the deal at Rs 16.25 crore.
Here’s a look at Bet Stokes’ batting, fielding, and bowling stats for his IPL career:
| Batting | MP | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | CT | ST |
| 43 | - | 6 | 920 | 107* | 25.55 | 134.50 | 2 | 2 | 79 | 32 | 21 | 0 |
| Bowlig | MP | Inns | OV | Runs | Wkts | Ave | Eco | BST | 4w | 5w |
| 21 | 19 | 3 | 429 | 295 | 26.81 | 145.42 | 102 | 1 | 1 |
Cameron Green
Green is a 23-year-old Australian cricketer who’s played for the Western Australia team and Perth Scorchers. The 2023 edition of the IPL will be this right-handed batting all-rounder’s debut in the tournament.
His starting offer was Rs 2 crore which was offered by both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. When the amount reached Rs 10 crore, Delhi Capitals also joined the bidding war. DC and MI did end up fighting each other, but it was Mumbai Indians that purchased him for Rs 17.5 crore.
Take a look at Green’s latest batting career stats:
| Series | Mat | NO | Runs | HS | AVG | SR | 50 | 4s | 6s | CT |
| Test | 18 | 3 | 806 | 84 | 35 | 46.64 | 6 | 77 | 6 | 18 |
| ODI | 13 | 6 | 290 | 89 | 58 | 90.34 | 1 | 22 | 8 | 5 |
| T20 | 8 | 0 | 139 | 61 | 17 | 173.75 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 3 |
Sam Curran
24-year-old Sam Curran is not a stranger to the IPL as he’s played for Chennai Super Kings since 2019. He’s a left-handed all-rounder who also plays for England in all formats.
Curran is now part of a significant IPL history because he is now the most expensive IPL player after Punjab Kings purchased him for Rs 18.5 crore. He was able to surpass Chris Morris’ record during the IPL 2021 mini auction when he was acquired by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore.
Here’s a glimpse at Curran’s IPL career statistics:
| Batting | MP | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | CT | ST |
| 32 | - | 8 | 337 | 55* | 22.46 | 149.77 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 18 | 10 | 0 |
| Bowlong | MP | Inns | OV | Runs | Wickets | Ave | Eco | BST | 4w | 5w |
| 32 | - | 108 | 995 | 32 | 31.09 | 9.21 | 4/11 | 1 | 0 |
The Bottom Line
That’s all the biggest franchise purchases during the IPL 2023 auction in December. Definitely one for the books, now that Sam Curran is IPL’s most expensive player of all time.
Did Chennai Super Kings do the right thing? Well, all we have to do is wait and see how CSK performs this season. Surely, Curran will be a great addition to the team alongside Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Ben Stokes.