The IPL 2023 mini-auction turned out to be a grand affair and the 10 franchises spent over Rs 150 crore to get the services of the players. A couple of all-time records were broken during the one-day event. Sam Curran, who joined Punjab Kings for Rs 18.50 crore, shattered past records and became the costliest-ever pick in the auction.
He was followed by Cameron Green, who joined Mumbai Indians for Rs 17.50 crore. Green is the 2nd -costliest pick in history. Sitting at the 3rd spot is Ben Stokes, who was roped in by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 16.25 crore
Indian players also had a day to remember as the likes of Mayank Agarwal (8.25 crore), Shivam Mavi (6 crore) and Mukesh Kumar (5.5 crore) earned huge amount of money. But there’s one Indian player, who is part of the Test squad for the ongoing series against Bangladesh, who went unsold.
Saurabh Kumar was up for grabs during the mini-auction but none of the teams bid for him. Given that he is part of the national set-up, Saurabh was expected to get a bid. But that didn’t happen. The fact that he is a left-arm spinner did not matter much to the franchises.
Saurabh has been part of IPL in past but is uncapped. He had joined Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017. Saurabh going unsold was a big surprise and he might join any team as a net bowler.
The left-arm spinner is also waiting for his India debut. The 29-year-old had first made it to the Test team for the home series against Sri Lanka earlier this year. He made his return for the Bangladesh Test series but hasn’t gotten a chance yet.
With Ravindra Jadeja likely to make his return next year, Saurabh might have to make way for him. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played in India in February-March 2023.
