5 players who were sold for surprisingly high prices at IPL 2023 auctions

The IPL 2023 auction was no less than a nail-biting show. Though it was a mini-auction with only 405 players under the hammer, the excitement hovered as young players pocketed huge sums of money.

England's Sam Curran created history by becoming the most expensive player of IPL. Curran was roped in by Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Rs 18.50 crore. Australia's Cameron Green was bought by Mumbai Indians at Rs 17.50 crore. England allrounder Ben Stokes was another hit as be bagged a deal of Rs 16.25 crore with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

However, these weren't the only stars of the IPL auctions. There were players who got more than what anybody had expected.

Here are 5 players such players:

1. Nicholas Pooran: Nicholas Pooran getting sold to Lucknow Super Giants at a huge price of Rs 16 crore was one of the biggest surprises of the auction. Pooran's base price was Rs 2 crore as he was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the auctions. 

Chennai Super Kings started the bid for the wicketkeeper-batter with Rajasthan Royals (RR). Later, Delhi Capitals (DC) too jumped in. But in the end it, was LSG which got into a massive price war with DC and picked him at Rs 16 crore.

Pooran had a a fine season in 2022 with Hyderabad as he averaged 38.25 in 14 matches at a strike rate of 144.34.

2. Harry Brook: England's Harry Brook was the second player of the auction and he got three franchises (RR, RCB and SRH) running for him. The 23-year-old was in the end grabbed by Sunrisers Hyderabad at a whopping price of Rs 13.25 crore. 

The right-handed batter hasn't been part of the IPL till now though he is performing very well in the Test series against Pakistan. He is a good hitter of the ball and on Indian pitches Brook is expected to shine on.

3. Mayank Agarwal: Former Punjab Kings captain wouldn't have thought that he would be signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rs 8.25 crore. The right-handed batter had a forgettable year with the bat as he could average only 16.33 in 13 matches at a strike-rate of 122.50.

In 2022, Punjab Kings had signed Agarwal for Rs 12 crore, but the team performed below expectations under his captaincy finishing at number 6 on the points table. 

But despite all of this, Punjab Kings started the bidding with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Later, Chennai Super Kings jumped in and it became a triangular contest. As the bidding got intense, Sunrisers Hyderabad got Agarwal at a price of Rs 8.25 crore. Though it was less than what he got in 2022, still it was four times his base price of Rs 2 crore.

4. Shivam Mavi: The 24-year-old allrounder was signed by Gujarat Titans at a price of Rs 6 crore. This was nearly a shocking result for a player whose base price was at Rs 40 lakh and the one who had a below average previous season of IPL.

Mavi, who was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2022 at Rs 7.25 crore, got to play only 6 matches in which he took five wickets. The team also performed abysmally finishing at seventh position.

Still, KKR wanted to get Mavi at a lesser price and hence started the bidding with Chennai Super Kings. Later Rajasthan Royals expressed their willingness to have Mavi in the team But Gujarat Titans had already made up their minds and got the allrounder for Rs 6 crore.

5. Mukesh Kumar: The 28-year-old pacer from Bihar who also made his way to the Indian squad stunned everybody in the room as he was signed by Delhi Capitals at a price of Rs 5.50 crore. 

Kumar's exploits in the international cricket are still to be seen, though his domestic cricket record really good. Initially, Punjab Kings wanted to sign the pacer but it was Delhi which got Kumar. 

Kumar's auction was also much discussed as the cricketer comes from a very modest background from Bihar and in his initial days had to struggle a lot to establish himself in cricket.