In the money: England duo Sam Curran and Harry Brook went for big money at the latest IPL auction on Friday
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Sam Curran and Harry Brook shattered Indian Premier League (IPL) auction records as England’s young stars earned huge paydays in the world’s premier T20 franchise tournament on Friday morning.
All-rounder Curran became the most-expensive player in IPL history as he was sold to Punjab Kings for around £1.85million, while Brook’s first IPL deal will see him earn just over £1.3m at Sunrisers Hyderabad, the most-ever paid for a specialist batter at a mini-auction.
Ben Stokes, who had been the most expensive English player in IPL history until Curran’s sale, also picked up a fine Christmas bonus in the shape of a £1.6m deal with Chennai Super Kings.
Curran was always expected to be in high demand, having excelled in previous editions of the IPL and then taken his reputation to new heights during England’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia in November.
The 24-year-old, who was man of the match in the final victory over Pakistan and named player of the tournament, was the subject of a six-team bidding war before eventually being snapped up by Punjab, who are led by former England coach Trevor Bayliss.
Brook, meanwhile, has enjoyed a remarkable breakout year in international cricket. The Yorkshire batter was player of the series during England’s 4-3 T20 series win in Pakistan in the autumn and, after a quiet World Cup, won the same award during the 3-0 Test whitewash this month, scoring 468 runs at a strike-rate and average of more than 93.
Stokes has regularly been one of the IPL’s most sought-after overseas players, having been MVP in his maiden campaign back in 2017. However, the Durham all-rounder has not played in the tournament since suffering a broken finger in his first match of the 2021 edition for the Rajasthan Royals, skipping the 2022 tournament to manage his workload and focus on Test cricket.
Joe Root, entering the auction for the first time since 2018, went unsold in the first round of bidding but could still be picked up later in the process.
