An examination of the 'Big Buys' 

Jaipur: The Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions are where several well-known Indian and international athletes command high prices each year. While some athletes sacrifice every fibre of their being to live up to the enormous weight of money invested in them due to their stature or potential in the future, others let fans down, perform below expectations, or simply sit on the bench.

The IPL 2023 was no different, it featured some really big names, bought by franchises at heavy prices. Let us have a look at performance of some of these players.

Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings at Rs 16.25 crore)- The England all-rounder played only two matches for CSK much to the disappointment of fans. He could score only 15 runs, had two single-digit scores and failed to take a wicket. His fitness issues kept him in the sidelines.

Harry Brook (Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 13.25 crore)- A lot was expected from this young, rising England sensation as he was bought for over Rs 13 crore in his IPL debut. But barring one century against Kolkata Knight Riders, Brook failed to make an impact and struggled against spin. Moreover, his batting order was tinkered with a lot, as he sometimes played as an opener, sometimes as a middle-order batter. He ended a disappointing season with 190 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.11, which included three ducks and six single-digit scores.

Mayank Agarwal (Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rs 8.25 crore)- The former Punjab Kings batter was bought by SRH for Rs 8.25 crore and it was expected that he would make a comeback to remember after a disappointing IPL 2022. Moreover, he was in superb form in domestic cricket. He had a decent season, scoring 270 runs in 10 matches at an average of 27.00. His strike rate of just over 128 did not really do much good to his team. His knock of 83 in 46 balls against MI in the side's final league match was his only fifty. 

Jason Holder (Rajasthan Royals at Rs 5.75 crore)- The West Indies veteran is a solid all-rounder in international cricket. But his all-round abilities were not used much as he could score only 12 runs in three innings across eight matches he played. He could also take only four scalps in these eight matches, with the best score of 2/29.

Mukesh Kumar (Delhi Capitals at Rs 5.5 core)- Delhi Capitals spent big on this uncapped Bengal pacer. He had an underwhelming season with DC, taking only seven wickets in 10 matches at an average of over 46 and leaked runs at an economy rate of over 10. His best bowling figures were 2/30.