IPL 2023 Auction: Meme fest after Sam Curran becomes most expensive player as Punjab Kings shells Rs 18.50 cr
On Friday, England's Sam Curran became the most expensive player in IPL auction history after Punjab Kings bought the youngster for Rs 18.50 crore during the IPL 2023 auction at Kochi.
FollowEngland's sensational Sam Curran was purchased by Punjab Kings for Rs 18.50 crore, making him the most expensive Player in Indian Premier League (IPL) auction history. He beat the earlier record set by Chris Morris when Rajasthan Royals bought him for Rs 16.25 crore.
Mumbai Indians started the Curran bidding at Rs 2 crore, swiftly increasing to Rs 4 crore in seconds. At first, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai were the two teams to make an offer for him, but when RCB withdrew for Rs 6.25 crore.
Rajasthan Royals entered the race. Rajasthan retained the bid at Rs 10 crore before Mumbai increased it by another Rs 25 lakh, totalling Rs 10.25 crore. And then Chennai Super Kings joined the bidding for their former player, with Punjab Kings also entering the bidding war.
Before CSK increased it to Rs 14.75 crore, Punjab briefly had the bid at Rs 14.50 crore. Lucknow then entered the competition for Rs 15.75 crore before Mumbai re-entered the competition, only for Punjab to bag Curran for Rs 18.50 crore.
Sam Curran, who had a standout performance at the 2022 T20 World Cup and won player of the Match and Player of the Series awards, was one of the most sought-after players in the pool going into the auction.
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The all-around player, 24, has experience playing in the T20 competition, representing Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, respectively. After being acquired by Punjab for Rs 7.2 crore in 2019, he made his league debut but was dismissed after one season.
MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings later purchased him before the 2020 season for Rs 5.5 crore, and he played for the team for two seasons before sitting out the 2022 campaign due to back surgery.
In his 32 IPL matches, Sam Curran has scored 337 runs at a strike rate of 149.77 and picked 32 wickets.
ALSO READ: IPL 2023 Auction LIVE: Full list of players UNSOLD
A meme fest exploded after Curran became the most expensive player in IPL history. Here's a look at how cricket fans reacted on Twitter:
