The young and talented Sam Curran recently won the player of the tournament award in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. He bagged 13 wickets in the tournament and had a staggering average of 11.38. These are sensational numbers for a bowler. Sam Curran can also bat and is an explosive batter. All these things make Sam Curran one of the most sought-after all-rounders in the T20 format.
The 24-year-old cricketer has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has represented Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Following an injury, Sam Curran decided not to take part in IPL 2022 and instead focus on his rehabilitation. He will be entering the IPL 2023 auctions as one of the hottest properties. Several teams would be eyeing Sam Curran as he is an extremely versatile player.
In 35 T20Is for England, Sam Curran has scored 158 runs and has notched up 41 wickets. He became the youngest player to win the player of the tournament award in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
In this article, we take a look at 3 teams that can target Sam Curran in the upcoming IPL auction:
1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Having previously played for CSK, there are high chances that Sam Curran stages a comeback to the MS Dhoni-led franchise. CSK let go of Dwayne Bravo and the West Indian bowling all-rounder subsequently retired from IPL cricket.
Thus, there is a void in the bowling department of CSK and this is where Sam Curran’s presence would be massively needed. With Rs. 20.45 crores left in the purse, CSK would fancy their chances of getting Sam Curran. Curran has played 2 IPL seasons for CSK and MS Dhoni is quite comfortable with their presence of Curran.
2. Mumbai Indians (MI)
Mumbai Indians have released both Daniel Sams and Kieron Pollard from their squad in the retention window ahead of IPL 2023. Sam Curran’s flexibility with both the bat and the ball could well urge the Mumbai franchise to bid for him.
Notably, the 5-time IPL champions have had two back-to-back seasons where they have failed to qualify for the playoffs. In IPL 2022, Rohit Sharma’s side finished with the wooden spoon. They had just 4 wins in 14 matches.
3. Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi Capitals had splashed a lucrative amount of Rs. 10.75 crores for bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the IPL 2022 Mega-Auction. Even though Thakur bagged 15 wickets in 14 games, his average was very high throughout the IPL.
He kept leaking runs and that forced Delhi to trade him to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Delhi also retrieved Rs. 10.75 crores by trading off Shardul Thakur. In order to fill up the space created by the absence of Thakur, Delhi might get hold of the services of Sam Curran.
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