SunRisers Hyderabad acquire Indian opener Mayank Agarwal for INR 8.25 crores

Indian opener Mayank Agarwal will turn up for his fifth IPL franchise after the SunRisers Hyderabad pouched him for a hefty sum of INR 8.25 crores at the auction on Friday, December 23.

The 31-year-old made his IPL debut with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 edition and is one of the most explosive openers in the cash-rich league.

SunRisers Hyderabad went toe to toe with the Chennai Super Kings, while Royal Challengers Bangalore made the first move, followed by the Punjab Kings. Nevertheless, the Punjab-based franchise pulled out after the bid crossed INR 3.6 crores.

The Yellow and Orange Army were the last ones on the table for the right-handed batter as the latter emerged victorious.

The previous season saw Agarwal serve as the captain of the Punjab Kings; however, they finished sixth on the standings, winning and losing seven each.

His performance with the bat was also sub-par, managing only 196 runs in 13 matches at 16.33 with a strike rate of 122.50 and only one half-century to go with.

Nevertheless, his overall IPL strike rate is an impressive 134.51 in 113 fixtures. The 31-year-old could open for the SunRisers with Abhishek Sharma.

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SunRisers Hyderabad splurge INR 13.25 crores on England batter

Harry Brook. (Image Credits: Getty)

Before acquiring the Indian right-handed batter, the 2016 IPL champions went hammer and tongs for England's Harry Brook.

While Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore caused the initial bidding war, the SunRisers Hyderabad swooped in later to secure Brook's services. He became the first millionaire of the IPL 2023 auction and is the second-most expensive England player after all-rounder Ben Stokes.

The 23-year-old was part of England's T20 World Cup-winning squad in Australia and had a blistering start to his Test career. The right-handed batter starred in England's Test series victory in Pakistan, hitting three centuries and striking at 93.41. He is also a potent player of spin, marking him out as a highly dangerous batter.