An IPL Playing XI of retained players cheaper than Sam Curran

Sam Curran became the all-time highest-paid player in IPL history on Friday, December 23. Punjab Kings broke the bank and shelled out a whopping ₹18.5 crore to sign the England all-rounder at the IPL 2023 Auction.

Fans expected Sam Curran to emerge as the most expensive player from this year's auction because the all-rounder won the player of the tournament award in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 earlier this year. He is one of the few players who can bowl four overs of left-arm pace and bat anywhere in the lineup.

Interestingly, one can easily form a playing XI from the budget of ₹18.5 crore, which the Punjab Kings spent to sign Sam Curran at the IPL 2023 Auction. Here is an actual IPL playing XI cheaper than Sam Curran's salary.

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Openers - Devon Conway and Wriddhiman Saha (wk)

Ford Trophy - Wellington Firebirds v Northern Districts (Image: Getty)

Chennai Super Kings player Devon Conway will open the batting for this team along with Gujarat Titans' wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. Conway received a contract worth ₹1 crore from the Super Kings at the last auction. He performed decently for the team, scoring 252 runs in seven matches.

His opening partner in this team, Wriddhiman Saha was signed by the Gujarat Titans for ₹1.9 crore. The veteran wicket-keeper batter was the fourth-highest run-scorer for the IPL 2022 champions, scoring 317 runs in 11 innings.

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Middle Order - Glenn Phillips, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rinku Singh and David Miller

India v South Africa - ICC Men's T20 World Cup (Image: Getty)

SunRisers Hyderabad batter Glenn Phillips and Punjab Kings wicket-keeper Bhanuka Rajapaksa will take the next two spots in this team. Phillips was bought at ₹1.5 crore by SRH, but he did not receive any chances to play.

Rajapaksa justified his price tag of ₹50 lakh by aggregating 206 runs in nine matches. He will play with Sam Curran in IPL 2023.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh will join Gujarat Titans' David Miller in the group of finishers. Singh earned ₹55 lakh last season and scored 174 runs in seven innings for KKR. Miller was the top performer for GT, scoring 481 runs in 16 matches. Gujarat had signed him for ₹3 crore.

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All Rounders - Shahbaz Ahmed and Krishnappa Gowtham

3rd One Day International: India v South Africa (Image: Getty)

Royal Challengers Bangalore signed Shahbaz Ahmed for ₹2.4 crore at the IPL 2022 Auction. Ahmed scored 219 runs and picked up four wickets in 16 matches for RCB.

Lucknow Super Giants snapped up Krishnappa Gowtham for ₹90 lakh. He played four matches for the team, scalping five wickets.

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Bowlers - Mukesh Chowdhury, Umesh Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav

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Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack of his team. Delhi Capitals signed him for ₹2 crore, and he emerged as their leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets.

Umesh Yadav and Mukesh Choudhary will shoulder the team's pace attack. Yadav justified his price tag of ₹2 crore with 16 wickets in 12 matches, whereas Choudhary proved to be a value-for-money pick by CSK at ₹20 lakh as he took 16 wickets in 13 games.

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An IPL 2023 Playing XI cheaper than Sam Curran's salary

Devon Conway, Wriddhiman Saha, Glenn Phillips, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, David Miller, Rinku Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Krishnappa Gowtham, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Choudhary.