At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction, England players Sam Curran and Ben Stokes went to Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) respectively for a hefty amount. After receiving lucrative contracts, both players had the responsibility to be extraordinary in the competition but neither of them lived up to the expectations.
Apart from the sensational innings against Challengers, the 27-year-old also delivered impactful knocks to his side against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In LSG’s journey till the playoffs, the veteran chipped in with 358 runs in 15 matches, at a magnificent strike rate of 172.94.
Here are three players who justified their price tags
Cameron Green
Mumbai Indians spent Rs 17.5 crore to sign young Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who has excelled in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. He was Australia’s top performer in the T20 series in India last year, when he made 118 runs, including two half-centuries, after being promoted to open the innings.
The journey of Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2023 ended with a humiliating 62-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2. Winner in Cameron Green, who could become an integral part of their team for years to come.
Talking about his performance, the 23-year-old produced some brilliant knocks with his bat to give his side the desired result in the league round. His best performance came in front of a packed Wankhede crowd in the 69th match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He scored an unbeaten 100 to take the team home comfortably by eight wickets.
Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran was one of the key members of Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) stupendous campaign till the playoffs. The stylish West Indies batsman was signed for a whopping sum of Rs 16 crore in the mini-auction. In the tournament, LSG entrusted him with the responsibility of strengthening their batting line-up by playing in the lower middle order.
In LSG colours, the southpaw played fearless cricket and provided some incredible moments to the Lucknow supporters. In Match 15 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, he held his nerves against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and scored 62 off 19 balls to help his team to a resounding one-wicket win.
Heinrich Klaasen
For Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the 2023 season was a tough pill to swallow as they finished their campaign at the bottom of the points table with four wins and 10 losses from 14 matches. Their key players Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram and Umran Malik did not play quality cricket throughout the season which cost them dearly.
However, one SRH player who played valiantly in the contest was their wicket-keeper batsman, Heinrich Klaasen. In most of the SRH matches, Klaasen was the only player who displayed spunk in the team. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, he also scored his maiden IPL century in a losing cause.
