England players were in high demand during the IPL mini auction on Friday, with all-rounder Sam Curran becoming the most expensive player in the history of the tournament.
Curran saw an intense bidding war in Kerala after his exploits in the T20 World Cup in Australia, where he was the player of the match and the tournament in a victorious campaign.
Curran returned to the Punjab Kings for a staggering sum of 185 million Indian rupees ($2.23 million) following a fierce bidding war with Chennai Super Kings.
His bid broke the record set by South African all-rounder Chris Morris who was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for 162.5m rupees in 2021.
Morris's deal was worth $2.25 million at the time but now stands at $2m as the Indian currency has weakened since. The previous record fee paid for Morris was broken once more on Friday, with Mumbai Indians paying 175m rupees for Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.
The other big winners on the day were Curran's teammates Ben Stokes and Harry Brook.
The Super Kings made up for missing out on Curran by signing England red-ball captain Stokes for 162.5m rupees.
Young batsman Brook, who made his England T20 and Test debuts this year, became the first millionaire of the day after being signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 132.5m rupees.
Most expensive players in IPL history
1. Sam Curran - 185 million Indian rupees ($2.23 million), Punjab Kings for IPL 2023
2. Cameron Green - 175m rupees, Mumbai Indians, 2023
=3. Ben Stokes - 162.5m rupees, Chennai Super Kings, 2023
=3. Chris Morris - 162.5m rupees, Rajasthan Royals, 2021
=5. Yuvraj Singh - 160m rupees Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), 2015
=6. Nicholas Pooran - 160m rupees, Lucknow Super Giants, 2023
7. Pat Cummins - 155m rupees, Kolkata Knight Riders, 2020
8. Ishan Kishan - 152.5m rupees, Mumbai Indians, 2022
9. Kyle Jamieson - 150m, Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2021
10. Ben Stokes - 145m rupees, Rising Pune Supergiant , 2017
