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Punjab Kings sign Sam Curran for record IPL fee - how much did they pay?
In Friday’s Indian Premier League auction in Kochi, Punjab Kings paid a record amount to sign England all-rounder Curran ahead of the 2023 season.
Sam Curran has become the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, after Punjab Kings bought the England all-rounder for ₹18.5 crore* - about $2.2 million - ahead of the 2023 season.
Curran fee smashes IPL record
The previous highest fee paid by an IPL team was the ₹16.25 crore forked out by Rajasthan Royals to sign South Africa’s Chris Morris in 2021.
Held in Kochi, Friday’s 2023 IPL auction saw a total of six franchises bid for Curran, 24, who was England’s top-scoring batsman in the team’s 3-0 Test series win over Pakistan this month.
Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants were all outbid by the Punjab Kings.
Green fee also beats Morris mark
Curran wasn’t the only player who broke Morris’ record on Friday, as Australia’s Cameron Green was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹17.50 crore ($2.1m).
Among the 2023 auction’s other notable purchases, England Test captain Ben Stokes joined Chennai Super Kings for ₹16.25 crore ($2m).
The 2023 IPL - which will be the Twenty20 competition’s 16th season - is scheduled to be played between March and May next year.
*Crore = 10 million