IPL Auction 2023: Who were the most expensive uncapped players?

The IPL 2023 Auction was a rollercoaster and was full of shocks and surprises. The proceedings started with Kane Williamson being sold at his base price of INR 2 crore to Gujarat Titans. It came as a shocker to see none of the nine other teams putting up a fight. But what unfolded next was pretty dramatic.

England’s Harry Brook garnered all attention when Sunrisers Hyderabad brought him for INR 13.25 crore. The attention then shifted to Mayank Agarwal who bagged a deal with SRH for INR 8.25 crore. The English players dominated the auctions as Punjab Kings bought all-rounder Sam Curran for a record-breaking INR 18.50 crore, making him the most expensive player in the history of IPL.

Ben Stokes getting an INR 16.25 crore deal with four-time champions Chennai Super Kings and Australian all-rounder Cameron Green being sold to five-time champions Mumbai Indians for INR 17.50 crore was surely the highlight of the day. But the surprising part was uncapped players earning a great deal for the upcoming 16^th edition of the tournament.

Shivam Mavi, who was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2022, was roped in by Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2023. The defending champions won the bidding war against CSK, KKR, and Rajasthan Royals and paid INR 6 crore for Mavi, who was registered at a base price of INR 40 lakh.

Bengal’s Mukesh Kumar, who recently earned his maiden India call-up but failed to make his debut, bagged an impressive INR 5.5 crore deal as Delhi Capitals signed him. Registered at a base price of INR 20 lakh, DC won the bidding war against CSK and PBKS.

SRH left KKR behind in the race and roped in young Vivrant Sharma for INR 2.6 crore. He was recently seen at the Vijay Hazare Trophy representing Jammu and Kashmir, and had a memorable outing at the tournament. He became the third biggest pick among uncapped players.

Mayank Dagar made headlines when his yo-yo test score surpassed Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal’s in 2018. For the upcoming edition of the IPL, SRH signed the Himachal cricketer by paying INR 1.8 crore, thereby adding another all-rounder to their squad.

Andhra Pradesh’s wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat, who is yet to make his India debut, managed to get an INR 1.2 crore deal from Gujarat Titans as the defending champions added a third wicketkeeper-batter option to their squad.