The 2023 Indian T20 league has indeed been a ‘MEGA’ action in all sense as the record for the top three most expensive buys ever were all made in this edition, with England’s World Cup hero Sam Curran beating the previous record of Chris Morris to take the top spot.
Here are the top three most expensive players in Indian T20 League history:
Punjab outbid other clubs to sign Sam Curran for INR 18.50 crore, with this the player shattered Chris Morris’ record (INR 16.25 crore) to become the most expensive player in Indian T20 league history. Curran became one of the most popular players in shortest format after England won the T20 World Cup in 2022. The English all-rounder was also adjudged as the Player of the match in the final, which England won against a formidable Australian team. He didn’t participate in the mega-auction of the Indian T20 League 2022 in February as he was recovering from a back injury.
In 32 matches across three seasons of the Indian T20 League, Sam Curran has managed to score 337 runs at a strike rate of 149.78. Besides, he has only managed to claim 32 wickets at 9.21.
Cameron Green, 23, is another young star who has joined the list of most expensive players in Indian T20 league history. Mumbai franchise roped in his services for a huge sum of INR 17.50 crores in 2023 auction. With that, he also became the second most expensive player in the league’s history..
Green’s T20 stock has surged dramatically during the previous six months. He was a last-minute addition to Australia’s T20 World Cup team when Josh Inglis sustained an injury while playing golf. Green picked the interest of Indian T20 League team scouts following a productive T20I series in India this year. In that series, he scored 118 runs, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 214.54 while batting up the order. His ability to bat anywhere in the order and bowl at a fast tempo helped him win the auction.
At INR 16.25 crore, Ben Stokes became the third most expensive player ever purchased at an indian T20 league auction and the most expensive player ever signed by Chennai Super Kings. After a brief time together at Pune, Stokes will square up alongside MS Dhoni in the Indian T20 League once more. Both Rajasthan and Bangalore made offers for Stokes, but it quickly became apparent that their tight finances would be a barrier. Chennai spent over 80% of their cash on Stokes alone after entering the auction with INR 20.45 crore. When the team starts to consider the notion of succession planning after Dhoni, he is also a strong candidate for captain.