All teams were expecting their top players to step up and deliver their best in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to fare well. Earlier, at the 2023 mini-auction held in December 2022, some records purchases were done by the franchises to reserve the services of players who had performed exceptionally in international cricket a few months ahead of the important auction.
With 2023 having marked its conclusion and CSK emerging as champions, it’s time to analyze the performances of players who got a hefty amount and became the most expensive players for their franchises. Some of them justified their role in their teams with their overwhelming performances while a few players couldn’t live up to the expectations. (Note- GT and RCB have not been considered in this analysis as their most expensive picks got ruled out of the tournament while KKR’s second most expensive buy has been considered due to applicable data)
Here is the performance of the most expensive players of each team
1. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)- David Wiese (INR 1 crore)
At the IPL 2023 auction, Shakib Al Hasan had become the most expensive player in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 2023 squad. The Bangladesh legend was picked up for INR 1.5 crore at the auction but in the tournament, he didn’t participate and to fill his shoes, the two-time IPL champions signed up England opener Jason Roy.
Following Shakib, Namibia player David Wiese had become the second most expensive buy for KKR in the IPL 2023 auction held last year. The South Africa-born Namibia stalwart was fetched for INR 1 crore at the business event. Talking about his performance in the tournament, the veteran got three games, in which he racked up 21 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 190.90.
With the ball, Wiese failed to be impactful as he not only failed to pick up any wickets in the tournament but also plundered runs at an economy of 12.66. In the 33rd match held at Eden Gardens, Wiese bowled a three-over spell against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but he could neither scalp any wickets nor stop the flow of runs.
2. Delhi Capitals (DC)- Mukesh Kumar (INR 5.50 Crore)
At the 2023 mini-auction, Delhi Capitals (DC) signed up Mukesh Kumar for INR 5.5 crore to bolster their fast-bowling unit. In his debut IPL season, he played 10 matches and ended up with seven wickets at an economy of 10.52, with the best figures of 2/30 against Mumbai Indians (MI).
Along with experienced pacers Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mitchell Marsh, Mukesh’s role was to reinforce his team. However, his bowling numbers clearly indicate that he struggled to be among the wickets and also leaked a lot of runs during his spells.
Against the quality teams Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Gujarat Titans (GT), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), his indisciplined bowling undermined Capitals as the opponents plundered plenty of runs from his overs. In his last appearance against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala, Punjab batters took him to the cleaners and looted 52 runs in his four-over spell.
3. Rajasthan Royals (RR)- Jason Holder (INR 5.75 Crore)
Jason Holder is a renowned name in international cricket for his all-round talent. In the cash-rich league too, fans are familiar with his name as the former West Indies captain has played for successful franchises such as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the past.
Considering his experience, Rajasthan Royals (RR) believed in him for the 2023 season and splurged INR 5.75 crore at the 2023 IPL auction held in Kochi. In return, Holder racked up only four wickets in eight innings of eight matches, at a horrendous economy of 9.96. Along with the ball, he also looked miser with his bat, contributing only 12 runs in three innings.
In the 42nd match, RR handed Holder the task to defend 17 runs in the decisive last over against Tim David and Tilak Varma of Mumbai Indians (MI). For the 31-year-old, it was the best opportunity to come out as a hero, but the veteran again disappointed his team’s fans with three full-toss deliveries that David smacked among spectators to clinch a six-wicket victory for Mumbai.
4. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)- Harry Brook (INR 13.25 Crore)
For the consecutive three years, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) journey has concluded on a disappointing note as the 2016 champions ended up at the bottom of the table in 2023. The reason for their cheerless show in the competition was SRH’s key players’ failure to turn up against their rivals.
Harry Brook, who became their costliest player at the 2023 IPL auction, struggled in front of bowlers. In 11 innings of 11 matches, the England batter scored only 190 runs at a below-par strike rate of 123.27. For the initial two games, SRH gave him the responsibility to strengthen their middle order but after witnessing his disheartening shows in both games, they assigned him the task to open the innings along with Mayank Agarwal.
Taking up the new role, the youngster looked positive and smashed his maiden IPL ton against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match number 19. However, after that game, his bad phase continued as the right-handed batter accumulated back-to-back failures with his bat.
5. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)- Nicholas Pooran (INR 16 Crore)
Nicholas Pooran had become the fourth most-expensive player at the IPL 2023 auction, with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) signing him up for INR 16 crore. In the Lucknow-based franchise, Pooran was given the responsibility to don the role of a finisher with his batting in the lower middle order.
In the third match of the season at the Ekana Stadium, the southpaw powered his team to a comprehensive 50-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC), with his swift 36-run knock off just 21 deliveries. His next notable performance came against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he hit the fastest half-century of his IPL career (15 balls) and helped his team to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, LSG scored the second-highest team total (257/5), and this time too, Pooran showcased his mettle with his sensational 45 runs off just 19 deliveries. Talking about his overall numbers, the dasher amassed 358 runs in 15 innings of 15 matches at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 172.94.
6. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)- Ben Stokes (INR 16.25 Crore)
Following the 2023 IPL auction in December 2022, Ben Stokes became the talk of the town for getting fetched for a hefty amount of INR 16.25 crore by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the competition, all eyes were set on him as CSK fans were excited to watch him serving their team, alongside big names MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, and Moeen Ali.
Ahead of the competition, he picked up a knee injury during England’s tour of New Zealand in February. His injury caused trouble for CSK as the physios declared that the veteran won’t be bowling much for the franchise. In the opening game against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, he made his CSK debut in the yellow jersey but couldn’t deliver anything solid to the side as a batter.
Coming out at number four, Stokes stood at the crease for a few minutes and went back to the pavilion after getting dismissed by Rashid Khan on seven runs. In the next game at Chepauak, he again looked uncomfortable in front of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and threw his wicket at a score of eight. After the LSG match, Stokes didn’t feature in any further games for Super Kings, due to fitness issues and his underwhelming displays.
7. Mumbai Indians (MI)- Cameron Green (INR 17.5 Crore)
Cameron Green played a vital role with his bat to take Mumbai Indians (MI) to the playoffs. In the 69th match of the round-robin stage at the Wankhede Stadium, Green stepped up and notched up his maiden IPL ton against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to take MI to the next round. Riding on his unbeaten ton, MI thrashed the visitors comfortably with eight wickets in hand.
In the initial phase of the competition, the Aussie didn’t perform according to his reputation but things started improving for him from match 16 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Against Delhi Capitals (DC), the right-handed batter played a role of a finisher and took his team home with his unbeaten 17 off eight.
The 23-year-old ended up his maiden IPL edition, scoring 452 runs with a couple of half-centuries and a ton in 16 innings of 16 matches, at a strike rate of 160.82. These impressive batting figures prove that the swashbuckling Australian player has done his job efficiently for MI.
1. Punjab Kings (PBKS)- Sam Curran (INR 18.5 Crore)
Sam Curran became the most expensive player in the history of IPL as the England all-rounder went to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a massive sum of INR 18.5 crore. After receiving the enormous contract, there was a responsibility on Curran to deliver extraordinary numbers to his team with both bat and ball.
Curran didn’t get successful in justifying his price tag as he lacked discipline with the ball, claiming 10 wickets in 14 matches, at an exorbitant economy of 10.22. Unlike his performance as a bowler, he delivered a few effective knocks from his bat and also won games for the team as captain in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence.
However, the young PBKS stalwart’s primary job was to provide a boost to the fast-bowling unit of Punjab, and in that role, he completely emerged as a failure. After spending a huge chunk of money on Curran, the PBKS team management must have expected better from him in the bowling department.