The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 mini-auction is set to take place in Kochi on Friday (December 23) and speculation is already rife on what players the franchises will bid for.
Ahead of the big day, England all-rounder Sam Curran said he is hoping to get a good deal in the auction but also fears that being in the same bracket as someone like Ben Stokes might affect his chances.
Besides Stokes, Australia’s Cameron Green and a few other all-rounders are expected to make big bucks in the mini-auction.
Curran, who will enter into the auction ring with a base price of INR 2 crore, can multiply his earnings and he will be eagerly following the action on TV.
“I’ve been in previous auctions (as well); you go in with your base price. I’ll be watching (the auction) on TV. On Friday morning, I guess, when your name comes up, you just say ‘keep the paddle up there’,” Curran said in a video posted by ‘The Telegraph’.
“Firstly you’ve got to get picked. I’ve got, obviously, hope that I’ll go somewhere. But I guess that’s one of those things (that) I’m in the same bracket as (Ben) Stokes and a few other all-rounders, who have come out and I guess they work in sets. So, anything can happen,” he added.
During the IPL 2019 auction, Sam Curran was roped in by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for a whopping INR Rs 7.2 crore.
Ahead of the 2020 season, Curran was released by the Punjab-based franchise but the pace bowling all-rounder was fetched by four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 5.5 crore.
On a different note, Curran hailed the Ben Stokes-led England team for scripting history by registering a 3-0 Test series win on the tour of Pakistan.
“It’s been crazy. Having played under (Test skipper) Stokes and (head coach) Brendon McCullum in the past, the way they’ve been playing is amazing. It (winning run) started in the summer and the best thing about it, I guess, is that there been quite a few injuries and guys like Jonny (Bairstow) who probably started that (winning streak) and came out and gave that confidence, he’s missed out (due to a freak injury).
“(Now) you’ve got Brooky (Harry Brook) coming in and get three hundreds in Pakistan and he is kind of saying ‘how would Jonny get back’. It’s absolutely amazing,” said Curran.
“I guess everyone thought Pakistan is an amazingly tough place to tour. But to win, it’s an amazing achievement.”
