'Never expected to receive that': Sam Curran's epic first reaction to becoming the most expensive player in IPL Auction
Sam Curran shared that he was slightly nervous and had trouble sleeping a night before the IPL auction on Friday.
If anyone hit a jackpot on Friday it was Sam Curran. The all-rounder, who put up a strong show in Australia at the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, was in high demand at the IPL auction for the upcoming season and was eventually roped in for INR 18.50 crore by Punjab Kings after an intense bidding war.
Curran's mind-boggling purchase value made him the most expensive player in the history of the tournament. He overtook Chris Morris, who held the previous record after being purchased by Rajasthan Royals for INR 16.25 crore in 2021. Not only Curran but other all-rounders Ben Stokes and Cameron Green too drew heavy interest. While Green was bought by Mumbai Indians for 17.50 crore, making him the second most expensive player of the league, Stokes' services were acquired by Chennai Super Kings for INR 16.25 crore.
Sharing his thoughts on the massive amount, Curran shared that he was slightly nervous and had trouble sleeping a night before the auction. And he is absolutely humbled with what he has been rewarded with.
“I didn’t sleep much last night, was a bit excited, also nervous about how the auction was going to go. But yeah, absolutely overwhelmed and incredibly humbled that I managed to get what I did. I never had any expectations to receive that," said Curran on Star Sports show 'Cricket Live – Auction Special’.
Curran started his IPL journey from Punjab Kings four years ago and will once again return to the northern part of the country, where he will be joined by his countrymen Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow. "Going back to where it all started for me in the IPL with Punjab, where I made my debut four years ago. So, to be going back there seems fantastic and I am looking forward to joining a few English teammates as well.”
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Curran is confident of delivering strong performances of Punjab Kings, who are still vying for their maiden IPL trophy. Curran claimed that having played in Punjab in his first season, he knows Mohali “pretty well” and would look to draw inspiration from his clinical performance at the World T20, where he emerged as the Player of the Tournament and was named Player of the Match in the final against Pakistan.
"I know the stadium. I know Mohali pretty well, so that obviously is a little bit of an advantage, having some familiar team mates who’ll help me. And yeah, I feel confident going into this tournament, where I’ve come off a fantastic world cup. And yeah, it’s amazing, I’m just incredibly excited it’s just a few months away till I will be coming to India, but it’s incredibly exciting. A massively big opportunity, which I’m so excited about, it’s incredible as you can probably imagine. There are so many things running through my mind and yeah it’s absolutely incredible, very overwhelmed,” he signed-off.