All-rounders Curran, Green and Stokes get lucky at IPL auction

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The IPL auction has once again broken the ceiling that was set the last time with all-rounders Sam Curran, Cameron Green and Ben Stokes picking up mammoth deals worth Rs 18.5 crore, Rs 17.5 crore and Rs 16.25 crore respectively. Each deal was greater than or equal to the Rs 16.25 crore deal signed between the Rajasthan Royals and Chris Morris in 2021.

Green and Stokes, however, were signed by the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who both have relatively smaller purses – of Rs 20.55 crore and Rs 20.45 crore – compared to the Punjab Super Kings who had a massive budget of Rs 32.20 crore. Aside from all-rounders, Nicholas Pooran, who scored 308 runs with an average of 38 and a strike rate of 144 for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, was signed by the Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 16 crore.

Mini auctions in the past have also included expensive deals with players like Morris, Yuvraj Singh, Pat Cummins and Kyle Jamieson, who signed jackpot contracts with Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore respectively.

At this auction, Mumbai, Chennai, and Punjab are expected to be satisfied with the squad they have now put together, with all-rounder players like Curran expected to play a key role in influencing Punjab’s chances of qualifyingto the play-offs. Mumbai, meanwhile, decided to invest in the Australian all-rounder Green after being outbid by Punjab for Curran. While Green is yet to play at the IPL, he has delivered some impressive performances against India recently.

Chennai initially gunned for Curran too, as well as Jason Holder, unsuccessfully, before going all into secure Ben Stokes. This was in keeping with the franchise’s strategy to find an all-rounder and leader both, who could fill in for the void left by Dwayne Bravo and MS Dhoni.

Stokes is known to be a masterful strategist and captain, who could help to lead the team and groom players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, while also securing victories for Chennai with his skill as a batter, bowler, fielder, and leader. Chennai’s team in recent editions may have picked up jibes, but they seem to have silenced all doubters with their investment in Stokes.