Kochi witnessed some of the most spectacular auctions in IPL history as Englishman Sam Curran attracted a bid of over Rs. 18 crores to become the most expensive player in the history of the cash-rich league. Cameron Green and Ben Stokes followed the que ue as they too made a lot of noise. While the England players dominated the Friday evening, a few of the Indian players too grabbed the headline for attracting impressive bids.
Mayank Agarwal becomes most expensive Indian at IPL 2023
After being released by the Punjab Kings franchise ahead of the IPL 2023 auction following a below-par performance in IPL 2022, Mayank Agarwal shocked everyone as he caused an intense bidding war between a couple of franchises. Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore were involved in the opening bid for the experienced batter, while the Chennai Super Kings entered the race later. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad too joined the bidding war before sealing the deal at Rs. 8.25 crore.
Notably, Agarwal was replaced by Shikhar Dhawan as Punjab Kings captain and was later released by the franchise. Agarwal joined the Punjab franchise in 2018. He scored just 196 runs in 13 matches at an average of 16.33 in the last season.
Most expensive uncapped Indian player:
Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar hogged a lot of limelight as franchises went berserk to secure their services. The 24-year-old was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders camp in IPL 2022 but was released ahead of IPL 2023 mini-auctions. But Mavi attracted a lot of interest during the auction as Gujarat Titans, CSK, KKR and Rajasthan Royals showed keen interest in acquiring him. After entering at the base price of just Rs. 40 Lakh, Shivam Mavi’s value sore rapidly only to settle at Rs. 6 crores.
Delhi Capitals secured the services of Mukesh Kumar, who recently earned his maiden India call-up but failed to make his debut. The uncapped Indian bagged an impressive INR 5.5 Crore deal as Delhi Capitals signed him. Registered at a base price of INR 20 lakh, DC won the bidding war against CSK and PBKS.
