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The IPL 2023 mini-auction successfully took place on Friday, December 23, in Kochi. All ten franchises participated actively in the event and tried to fill the voids in their squads.
English players dominated the proceedings, as most of them bagged lucrative deals. Several Australian, West Indies, and New Zealand players also secured bids as they are confirmed to be available for the entire duration of the tournament.
The auction also had a feel-good factor to it as players like Sikander Raza from Zimbabwe, Josh Little from Ireland, and David Wiese from Namibia managed to find bidders in the auction. Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das from Bangladesh also got picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The 2022 T20 World Cup player of the tournament, Sam Curran, made history by becoming the most expensive player in the IPL. Punjab Kings (PBKS) broke the bank for him and purchased him for a whopping INR 18.50 crore.
Cameron Green received the second-highest bid of the day as the Mumbai Indians (MI) signed him for INR 17.50 crore. Star all-rounder Ben Stokes rounded off the podium as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) splurged INR 16.25 crore to secure his services.
Sam Curran told Star Sports after securing a record-breaking deal:
"Absolutely overwhelmed and incredibly humbled to receive that bid from Punjab. I debuted there a few years ago. It will be very different but I know the stadium at Mohali pretty well, and surely our teammates will help me. Incredibly excited to come to India for this big opportunity. So many things running through my mind."
He added:
"At 9 am this morning I was struggling to find a stream, the auction wasn't on TV in England. I sat with my girlfriend and her dad to watch it. I turned my phone off because I thought I was behind and didn't want to see any messages saying congrats."
Fans react after witnessing IPL 2023 mini-auction on Friday
IPL fans enjoyed the intense bidding wars and all the other action that unfolded during the IPL 2023 mini-auction. They expressed their reactions by sharing intriguing memes.
Here are some of the best reactions:
What was your favorite pick at the IPL 2023 auction? Sound off in the comments section.
