England all-rounder Sam Curran has become the most expensive player bought by the Indian Premier League, with the Punjab Kings paying 185 million rupees (R38m) for his services in the latest auction.
The left-arm quick and attacking middle-order batsman was among a selection of the world’s top cricketers going under the hammer this year.
His purchase set a local currency record, surpassing South African all-rounder Chris Morris who was snatched up by the Rajasthan Royals for 162.5 million rupees in 2021.
Morris’s deal was worth $2.25 million at the time, but the Indian currency has stumbled in recent months on the back of inflation and global economic headwinds.
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More than 400 players were up for grabs at the auction in the southern city of Kochi.
Interestingly, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw received the biggest percentage hike – 1433.33% – on his previous pay cheque. Rossouw was last part of the IPL in 2015 with the Royal Challengers, with the Delhi Capitals this time paying him INR 4.6 crore (R9.46m) during the accelerated round of the auction.
The IPL is a huge earner for Indian cricket and the tournament has made more than $11 billion (R187bn) for the economy each year, according to pre-pandemic estimates.
In June, the Board of Control for Cricket in India sold the broadcast rights for the next five seasons to global media giants for an eye-watering $6.2 billion (R105bn).