Sam Curran, Harry Brook, and Ben Stokes, three English cricketers were the most priced players in the most recent IPL 2023 Auction.
Sam Curran became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League history (previously held by Chris Morris who was sold to Rajasthan Royals at £1.63 in IPL 2021 auction) by securing a £1.85 million deal with Punjab Kings after a fierce bidding war between six of the ten franchises. He was also an attractive pick because he is a left-armer who can bowl at any point in the innings and offers plenty with the bat. He will join up with his England teammates.
Ben Stokes also had a bumper pay day, becoming the third-most expensive player in IPL history as he went for £1.63 million to Chennai Super Kings. He previously played for Rising Pune Supergiant and Rajasthan Royals but missed the past two years, first because of a broken finger and then last season to focus on his Test captaincy.
Harry Brook also became an IPL millionaire after another fierce bidding war, capping an extraordinary 2022 for the Yorkshire batsman. Having played a key role in England’s T20 series win in Pakistan, lifted the T20 World Cup trophy and then been named player of the series after the three Tests against Pakistan scoring a century in each match Brook was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for £1.32 million.
Adil Rashid has struggled to get picked up in previous auctions overseas spinners tend to not be as popular because of the abundance of Indian alternatives but the England leg spinner was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for £200,000.
Josh Little, the 32-year-old all-rounder who caught the eye at the T20 World Cup, became the first of the present crop of Ireland players to be picked up in the auction by securing a deal with Gujarat Titans for £450,000.
In the past, England players have had to cut short their IPL participation in order to return to the UK for the early summer Test matches. Rob Key, the managing director of England cricket, and McCullum believe that IPL involvement is extremely vital for players of all forms.