Punjab Kings are yet to win their maiden IPL trophy. The Kings have been in the league since its inception in 2008. With a stable squad ahead of IPL 2024, the Kings fans would hope to win their maiden silverware in the sixteenth edition.
The Punjab Kings have had a start-stop strategy in terms of retaining their playing personnel. The Kings have always resorted to the auction table to strengthen their squad, rather than retaining their core players from previous season.
As a result, the Kings have been one of the biggest spenders on the auction table over the years. Ahead of IPL 2023, the PBKS broke the all-time record by acquiring a young English all-rounder on the auction table.
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Ahead of IPL 2024, The Sporting News takes a look at PBKS' five most expensive players purchased at the auctions.
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Punjab Kings' most expensive auction buys: Sam Curran heads the list
The young England all-rounder Sam Curran is PBKS' most expensive buy at the auction table in IPL history. The Kings acquired the then 24-year-old for an all-time IPL record fee of 18.5 Crore ahead of IPL 2023.
However, Sam Curran failed to live up to the price tag paid by PBKS. The Englishman failed to have an impact on the team, as they missed out on qualifying for the knockout rounds since 2014. Curran scored 276 runs and picked 10 wickets in 14 wickets in 2023.
Australian pacer Jhye Richardson is the second-most expensive player in PBKS history. The Kings broke the bank for the speedster ahead of IPL 2021. However, Richardson played three games, picking three wickets in the season. He was released after one season.
Back in 2014, David Miller was the then-most expensive player for PBKS. The decision was near-perfect for Punjab, as Miller thrived for the Kings in his maiden IPL season. The Kings XI Punjab (now, Punjab Kings) reached the IPL final that season, with Milleer being in the centre of all good things in the season.
Here are CSK's five most expensive picks at the auctions:
| Player | Purchased for (INR) | Year |
| Sam Curran | 18.5 crore | 2023 |
| Jhye Richardson | 14 crore | 2021 |
| David Miller | 12.5 Crore | 2014 |
| Liam Livingstone | 11.5 crore | 2022 |
| KL Rahul | 11 crore | 2018 |
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