Cricket is followed by billions of fans. However, the craze for the sport is unmatched in India for numerous reasons, including easy accessibility, fantasy games, exciting domestic tournaments, etc.
Among fantasy sports games, Fantasy cricket is a popular variant wherein players create teams and predict outcomes of real-life matches. All enthusiasts need is a solid fantasy cricket app on their smartphone paired with a stable Internet connection to get started.
Coming to domestic tournaments, the Indian Premier League, or IPL, is the world’s biggest domestic cricket tournament. Each of the 10 teams which compete to win the title is composed of multiple players, each of which the teams need to purchase or sign a contract with during IPL Auctions.
Here is a detailed look at the most expensive players bought by teams in this year’s IPL Auction:
Most Expensive Player in IPL 2023
Sam Curran – Rs. 18.5 Crores
Punjab Kings created history this year when they acquired Sam Curran, the English fast pacer, for a whopping amount of Rs. 18.5 crores at the 2023 IPL Auction, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. This is by far the most expensive acquisition by any team in Indian Premier League’s history. Earlier, Chris Morris was the most expensive IPL player of all time.
Sam Curran’s base price at the Mega Auction was Rs. 2 crores. Given the player’s terrific form and reputation, many teams were chasing the famous pacer at the auction. Both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians had their sights set on the player. Their bidding war instantly increased the price of Curran from 2 to 7 crores. However, the Bangalore team withdrew their interest when MI continued to pursue players.
Eventually, teams like Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants joined the bidding war. However, Punjab Kings was the team that triumphed in the bidding war for Sam Curran, as they acquired him by paying the highest amount in the history of IPL Auctions.
Cameron Green – Rs. 17.5 Crores
He was the second most expensive player at the 2023 IPL Auction. Mumbai Indians acquired him for a mindblowing amount of Rs. 17.50 crores. The Australian all-rounder is one of the most prominent assets of the Mumbai team in the upcoming IPL season, thanks to his versatility and on-field skills.
The base price of Green at the Mega Auction was Rs. 2 crores. In a matter of minutes, the cost of the player increased more than thrice, i.e., it came to around Rs. 7 crores. This happened following an aggressive bidding war between MI and RCB. A little later, Delhi Capitals joined the ongoing war.
RCB dropped out of the race soon, but the fight between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals raged on until the 15-crore mark. Eventually, Mumbai Indians sealed the deal by paying the second-highest amount at the auction for the all-rounder.
Ben Stokes – Rs. 16.25 Crores
Chennai Super Kings acquired Ben Stokes, the hard-hitting batsman from England, by paying a massive sum of Rs. 16.25 crores. The top-tier team decided to invest heavily on the player because they wanted a reliable player who could replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the captain since the 2023 IPL season is the ex-Indian skipper’s last season.
Given his performance at the T20 World Cup, Ben Stokes grabbed the attention of many teams. The base price for Stokes was Rs. 2 crores. Many teams, including Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Lucknow Super Giants, tried to acquire the players. However, CSK became the team that managed to achieve the feat by paying Rs. 16. 25 crores. Currently, Ben Stokes is the most expensive player of all time for CSK.
Nicholas Pooran – Rs. 16 Crores
Lagging only a bit behind Ben Stokes in terms of money, Nicholas Pooran was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for approximately Rs. 16 crores. The top-tier player from West Indies became the most expensive wicket-keeping batsman in the history of IPL Auctions.
Initially priced at Rs. 2 crores, the bidding competition between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals made his price land around Rs. 3 crores. Eventually, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants joined the ongoing battle.
After fierce competition, Lucknow Super Giants emerged victorious and landed the player by paying Rs. 16 crores. Hence, Nicholas Pooran became the fourth most expensive player at the 2023 IPL Mega Auction.
Harry Brook – Rs 13.25 Crores
Harry Brook became the fifth most expensive player at the 2023 IPL Mega Auction. Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired the exceptional batsman hailing from England for a significant amount of Rs. 13 crores.
The English batsman was eyed by many teams thanks to his youthful and energizing batting skills. Like all other players who were sold at massive prices, there was a bidding war between multiple teams for Harry Brook. Initially, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals locked horns against each other in an attempt to acquire the youngster.
However, both of their attempts were rendered unsuccessful when Sunrisers Hyderabad decided to join in. The Hyderabad side finally landed the player by paying approximately 13.25 crores.
In every IPL auction, teams invest heaps of money into players who they think have the potential to have a spectacular season. This year many players were sold for humongous prices, out of which the top five are mentioned above. Only time will tell if they are able to perform and make the investments worthwhile for their team.
