IPL 2023: 3 Players who justified their price tags

Heinrich Klaasen 1. (Photo Source: IPL/ BCCI)

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.

However, unlike these two huge names, there have been few players that have done a tremendous job for their teams after getting sold at jaw-dropping prices at the mini-auction held in Kerala in December 2022. Let’s go through three players who lived up to their expectations and put forward excellent performances to help their teams perform well.

Here are three players who justified their price tags:

3. Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen Celebration. (Photo Source : Twitter/IPL)

For Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the 2023 season was a hard pill to swallow as they ended their campaign at the bottom of the points table with four wins and 10 defeats in 14 matches. Their key players Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, and Umran Malik didn’t play quality cricket throughout the season which cost them badly.

However, one SRH player who played valiantly in the competition was their wicketkeeper batter, Heinrich Klaasen. In the majority of SRH matches, Klaasen was the only player who displayed spunk in the squad. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, he also hit his maiden IPL century in a losing cause.

The Proteas middle-order batter concluded his IPL 2023 season, with 448 runs in 12 matches, at a remarkable strike rate of 177.07. These batting figures also made him the highest run-scorer for Sunrisers in the season.

2. Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran 1. (Photo Source: IPL/Twitter)

Nicholas Pooran was one of the crucial members of the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) fabulous campaign till the playoffs. At the mini-auction, the stylish West Indies batter was signed up for an enormous amount of INR 16 crore at the mini-auction. In the tournament, LSG gave him the responsibility to provide a boost to their batting line-up while playing in the lower middle order.

Donning LSG colours, the southpaw played fearless cricket and provided some incredible moments to Lucknow’s supporters. In match 15 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, he held his nerves against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and played an unprecedented knock of 62 off 19 to help his team clinch a marvellous one-wicket win.

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.

1. Cameron Green

Cameron Green. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) journey in IPL 2023 ended with their humiliating 62-run loss at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2. During their 2023 campaign, the five-time IPL champions got a new match-winner, Cameron Green, who could become an integral part of their team in the upcoming years. Before the competition, Mumbai had picked up the Aussie all-rounder at a heavy amount of INR 17.5 crore.

Talking about his performance, the 23-year-old produced some phenomenal knocks from his bat to deliver desired results to his side in the league round. His best came against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 69th match in front of the Wankhede crowd. Smashing an unbeaten 100, he took his team home comfortably by eight wickets.

In the big Eliminator match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he came out as the highest run-scorer, with his excellent 41-run knock off just 23 deliveries. The dashing Aussie strengthened MI’s batting department with his batting exploits, churning up 452 runs in 16 games at an outstanding strike rate of 160.28.