The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction concluded in Kochi on Friday, December 23. After several bidding wars, 80 of the 405 players ended up being sold; 29 were overseas. Sam Curran created history, becoming the most expensive buy at the IPL auction ever. He was picked up by Punjab Kings (PBKS), his original franchise, for a whopping Rs 18.5 crore. He broke the earlier record held by South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris, who was purchased by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 16.25 crore ahead of the 2021 auction. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was also picked up by Mumbai Indians (MI) for a whopping INR 17.5 crore. England all-rounder Ben Stokes was among the other big buys. He went to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 16.25 crore.
A total of Rs 167 crore was spent by players at the auction, with a few records being broken. With the one-day mini-auction ending, we analyze the performance of all 10 IPL 2023 franchises.
1. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a whopping purse of Rs 42.25 crore heading into the auction. But did they utilize it smartly? Very much. They picked up in-form England batter Harry Brook (Rs 13.25 crore), experienced Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal (Rs 8.25 crore), World Cup-winning leg-spinner Adil Rashid (Rs 2 crore) and hard-hitting Proteas batter Heinrich Klaasen (Rs 5.25 crore). J&K all-rounder Vivrant Sharma (INR 2.6 crore) is also an interesting purchase. It can be said that they had the best of auctions, utilizing their money smartly.
2. Chennai Super Kings
Four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made some smart purchases. They shelled out a whopping Rs 16.25 crore for Ben Stokes, perhaps also earmarking him as the team’s next leader once MS Dhoni is gone. They then purchased a bowling all-rounder in New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson for a budget price of Rs 1 crore – a suitable replacement for Dwayne Bravo. CSK went for a few young Indians to fill up their spots. However, the decision to pick Ajinkya Rahane (Rs 50 lakh) was baffling.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a small purse of Rs 7.05 crore left ahead of the auction. But they did end up making some impressive purchases, it must be said. The Bangladesh pair of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (Rs 1.5 crore) and batter Litton Das (Rs 50 lakh) can win you T20 games, while N. Jagadeesan (Rs 90 lakh) was a great budget buy, considering his form. Namibia’s David Wiese (Rs 1 crore) could also be an X-factor in the team.
4. Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals (RR) went in with a purse of Rs 13.2 crore for the IPL 2023 auction. They invested well in West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder (Rs 5.75 crore). Also, at Rs 1.5 crore, Aussie leggie Adam Zampa was a steal. The purchase of Joe Root for Rs 1 crore is debatable, but otherwise, it was a good auction for them.
5. Delhi Capitals
Interestingly, Delhi Capitals (DC) went for Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar (Rs 5.5 crore), their most expensive buy. With a purse of Rs 19.45 crore, they decided to go for South African big-hitter Rilee Rossouw (Rs 4.6 crore) and England’s Phil Salt (Rs 2 crore), both of them being good purchases. The decision to buy Manish Pandey (Rs 2.4 crore) comes with its risks, so it remains to be seen how that works out.
6. Mumbai Indians
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) had a purse of Rs 20.55 crore remaining ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. They broke the bank to purchase Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 17.5 crore. They also picked another Aussie, Jhye Richardson, for Rs 1.5 crore and went for 20 lakh buys with hardly any remaining. It seemed a genuine strategy that could prove to be a masterstroke or even backfire.
7. Gujarat Titans
Defending champions Gujarat Titans made a few surprising purchases. They went for New Zealand legend Kane Williamson for Rs 2 crore despite his recent T20 struggles. Shivam Mavi has done well with the ball in domestic cricket, but Rs 6 crore is a debatable price. Ireland pacer Joshua Little (Rs 4.4 crore), KS Bharat (INR 1.2 crore) and Odean Smith (INR 50 lakh) are smart purchases, keeping the prices in mind.
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) only had a purse of Rs 8.75 crore heading into the IPL 2023 auction. As such, they could not make big purchases on the bidding table. They went for England batter Will Jacks (Rs 3.2 crore) and English left-armer Reece Topley (Rs 1.9 crore). They also picked Indian players like Sonu Yadav (Rs 20 lakh) and Avinash Singh (Rs 60 lakh). But that was about it.
9. Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants, who had a purse of Rs 23.35 crore, spent Rs 16 crore on Nicholas Pooran. The West Indies batter has plenty of talent, but he hasn’t made an impact in the IPL over the years. Doesn’t seem like a very sound move from the franchise mentored by Gautam Gambhir. They picked Jaydev Unadkat (Rs 50 lakh) and Daniel Sams (Rs 75 lakh), but there was no scope for other big names once they went for Pooran at a hefty price.
10. Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings (PBKS) had a bizarre auction. They went in with a purse of Rs 32.2 crore and returned with Rs 12.20 crore still left in the bag. They also purchased the most expensive player at the IPL 2023 auction – Sam Curran (Rs 18.5 crore), a great buy. They also did well in buying Sikandar Raza (Rs 50 lakh), but their auction strategy went awry with a lot of money left.