Punjab Kings (PBKS) created history on Friday as they bought Sam Curran for a whopping price of INR 18.50 crore at the IPL 2023 Auction in Kochi.
The England all-rounder has become the costliest player in the history of the IPL. He surpassed former South Africa international Chris Morris, who was roped in by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 16.25 crore at the 2021 IPL Auction.
Interestingly, PBKS were outbid by RR to the signing of the Proteas all-rounder.
Meanwhile, Curran has come back to the Punjab outfit as he played his first IPL match in their jersey in 2019. The 24-year-old was in sublime form during this year’s T20 World Cup and won the ‘Player of the match’ and ‘Player of the Tournament’ awards as England defeated Pakistan in the grand finale.
Celebrating his return to PBKS, Curran tweeted, “Back to where it all started! Looking forward to it.”
Back to where it all started! Looking forward to it 🦁 https://t.co/1lpsK8fX4V
— Sam Curran (@CurranSM) December 23, 2022
Besides PBKS, Mumbai Indians (MI) tried to acquire Sam during the bidding event. The Mumbai-based franchise went as far as INR 18 crore to get the all-rounder but lost to Punjab, who had the second-largest purse in the auction.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after becoming the most expensive player ever at an IPL auction, Curran said: “I knew at 9 am this morning about the auction but I was struggling to find a stream. It wasn’t on TV in England and finally someone sent me a link. I sat with my girlfriend and her dad to watch it.”
Isabella Symonds Willmott is the girlfriend of the young England all-rounder. She is a stunner who could turn heads with her beauty. After graduating from the illustrious University of Exeter in 2019, Isabella loves exploring and travelling from one place to another.
Sam and Isabella have been dating for a few years now, and they are not afraid of letting the world know about their love. The couple regularly share pictures on their social media accounts.
