IPL’s top spends that turned duds: From Sam Curran, Chris Morris, to Ben Stokes

Updated: Dec 19th, 2023

IPL Auction buys (img: PNGTree, IANS)

The IPL 2024 auction took place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, where 333 players went under the hammer.

This season saw some of the hottest and record-breaking purchases from franchises. Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders, became the most expensive IPL player ever at a whopping ₹24.75 cr. Starc’s record was held by his compatriot Pat Cummins for a few moments, who was sold to SunRisers Hyderabad for ₹20.5 cr.

Over the years, IPL auctions have seen the hammer go heavy on many hot-favourite players. But some stars, like English all-rounder Sam Curran and South African Chris Morris, among others, have failed to deliver up to the potential they were priced at.

Sam Curran - IPL 2023

The young Englishman was bought for a whopping ₹18.50 cr by the Punjab Kings in the 2023 IPL auction. However, his performance with the bat and bowl remained dull throughout the tournament.

Curran managed to score only 276 runs at a below-par average of 27.6 per game.

He also bagged only 10 wickets in the tournament, with his average and economy in shambles at 48.9 and 10.22, respectively.

Ishan Kishan - IPL 2022

The young and stellar Indian wicketkeeper-batter was bought at a hefty sum of ₹15.25 cr by the Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians franchise in an auction dubbed as the ‘mega auction’.

But despite his tremendous price, his numbers remained average, as he scored 418 runs in the 14 games he played for a dull average of 32.15.

The then-23-year-old, however, proved his prominence in the coming years and made his way into the national side in all formats.

Chris Morris - IPL 2021

The South African fast-bowling all-rounder was bought for a towering amount of ₹16.25 cr by the Rajasthan Royals.

Known for his explosive batting, Morris was kept calm throughout the season by his opponents. The ‘Protean’ scored a mere 67 runs in the 11 games he played.

His batting average remained poor throughout the season, at 13.4.

Varun Chakravarthy - IPL 2019

The fairytale run of the man dubbed ‘mystery spinner,’ Varun Chakravarthy, never woke up from a deep sleep, as the uncapped player then, purchased at a staggering ₹8.40 cr by the Punjab franchise, failed to play anything more than a single game for the side.

Chakravarthy was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a finger injury during the season.

However, the leg-spinner was bought by KKR in 2020 and has been their wicket-taking spin option for the last three seasons.

Ben Stokes - IPL 2018

The English star all-rounder was bought for a scorching figure of ₹12.5 cr in the 2018 IPL auction by the Rajasthan Royals.

However, his heroics were seldom seen from either bat or bowl. The now-English test captain managed only 196 runs throughout the tournament, with an average of a mere 16.33 in the 13 games he played.

Stokes’ performance remained quiet with the ball as well, as he only took eight wickets in the tournament, with an ordinary economy of 8.18.

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