IPL Auction 2023: Trevor Bayliss delighted after record-breaking signing of Sam Curran

England's star all-rounder Sam Curran was expected to go for a hefty price, and the Englishman proved the predictions right after being snaffled by Punjab Kings for a record-breaking sum of INR 18.50 crore. He becomes the most expensive buy at an IPL auction, breaking Chris Morris' record of INR 16.25 crore.

Trevor Bayliss, who was appointed as the head coach of the Punjab Kings after the departure of former Indian legendary spinner Anil Kumble, was pleased to capture the signature of the World Cup-winning English all-rounder. The World Cup-winning coach stressed the fact that the side were exploring all-round options ahead of next year's IPL.

"Very happy to have him on board, he has a lot of skills with both bat and ball. We had two or three all-rounders in mind, Sam might be lucky he came up first. Sikandar Raza is a bit of an unknown, mystery spinner and can whack the ball. We’re looking for a few backup players too," Trevor Bayliss of Punjab Kings said during the IPL 2023 auction.

Punjab made a smart signing by capturing the mercurial Sikandar Raza in the auction

The Australian coach also touched upon the signing of the Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who becomes only the third player from the African country to sign for an IPL franchise. Raza has had a magnificent 2022 at the international level for Zimbabwe, dragging the side to unprecedented heights with both the ball and bat.

He was one of the stars of this year's 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and could potentially be one of the steal buys this season after the Punjab Kings captured him for a paltry sum of INR 50 Lakhs. Punjab's co-owner Ness Wadia felt it was a mistake to let go of Sam Curran in the first place and they were prepared to splurge the cash on the 24-year-old to strengthen their squad.