Our Bureau
Ahmedabad
Every year, many big international and Indian names attract big price tags during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions. While some players give every inch of their being to live up to the gigantic weight of money invested in them because of their stature or future potential, some disappoint fans, underwhelm and even sit out on the sidelines. The IPL 2023 was no different, it featured some really big names, bought by franchises at heavy prices.
We take a look at performance of some of these players.
Sam Curran (Punjab Kings at Rs 18.5 crore)
After a tournament-winning performance at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 for England, which saw him being crowned the ‘Player of the Tournament’, PBKS bet big on Curran. Curran delivered some solid performances with the bat. Coming down the order, he scored 276 runs in 13 innings at an average of 27.60 and a strike rate of 135.96, with one half-century. While he also took 10 wickets, he did so at an average of 48.90 and leaked runs at an economy rate of 10.22. His moderate returns with the ball did not help PBKS as they failed to qualify for playoffs. A positive side of Curran’s season was that he did extremely well as a captain in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan for some matches.
Cameron Green (Mumbai Indians at Rs 17.5 crore)
The lanky 23-year-old all-rounder from Australia overcame a slow start in the tournament to become MI’s third-highest run-getter this season. In 16 matches, he scored 452 runs at an average of 50.22 and at a strike rate of over 160. He scored a century and two fifties this season, with best score of 100*. His game awareness was also really great, often rotating the strike well and giving the strike to batters who were firing runs from the other end. He also took six wickets with best figures of 2/41.
Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings at Rs 16.25 crore)
The England all-rounder played only two matches for CSK much to the disappointment of fans. He could score only 15 runs, had two single-digit scores and failed to take a wicket. His fitness issues kept him in the sidelines as CSK clinched their fifth title.
Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 16 crore)
The explosive West Indies batter had a decent IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022. He scored 306 runs with two fifties but his strike rate was not really up to his standards. LSG invested in Pooran and the West Indian repaid the faith placed in him with some explosive cameos. He scored 358 runs in 15 matches at an average of 29.83 and a strike rate of 172.95, with two fifties and best score of 62. He was able to do what was asked of him: Finish games well by accelerating the run-rate.
Harry Brook (Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 13.25 crore)
A lot was expected from this young, rising England sensation as he was bought for over Rs 13 crore in his IPL debut. But barring one century against Kolkata Knight Riders, Brook failed to make an impact and struggled against spin. Moreover, his batting order was tinkered with a lot, as he sometimes played as an opener, sometimes as a middle-order batter. He ended a disappointing season with 190 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.11, which included three ducks and six single-digit scores.
Mayank Agarwal (Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rs 8.25 crore)
The former Punjab Kings batter was bought by SRH for Rs 8.25 crore and it was expected that he would make a comeback to remember after a disappointing IPL 2022. Moreover, he was in superb form in domestic cricket. He had a decent season, scoring 270 runs in 10 matches at an average of 27.00. His strike rate of just over 128 did not really do much good to his team. His knock of 83 in 46 balls against MI in the side’s final league match was his only fifty. Safe to say, he could have done better.
Jason Holder (Rajasthan Royals at Rs 5.75 crore)
The West Indies veteran is a solid all-rounder in international cricket. But his all-round abilities were not used much as he could score only 12 runs in three innings across eight matches he played. He could also take only four scalps in these eight matches, with the best score of 2/29.
Mukesh Kumar (Delhi Capitals at Rs 5.5 core)
Delhi Capitals spent big on this uncapped Bengal pacer. He had an underwhelming season with DC, taking only seven wickets in 10 matches at an average of over 46 and leaked runs at an economy rate of over 10. His best bowling figures were 2/30.
Heinrich Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rs 5.25 crore)
The explosive South African wicketkeeper turned out to be SRH’s best performer this season, carrying an inconsistent batting line-up on his shoulders. He scored 448 runs in 12 matches at an average of 49.77 and a strike rate of 177.07. He scored a century and two fifties this season, with his best score being 104, an assault on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spinners.
