Green has record-breaking $3m payday at IPL auction

Allrounder Cameron Green has become an instant multi-millionaire, the most expensive Australian player ever bought at the Indian Premier League auction after a dizzying bidding war.

Green was eventually bought for A$3.15million by Mumbai Indians, or 18.5crore rupees. It surpassed the 15.5crore Pat Cummins was bought for by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2020, although pre-pandemic that figure converted at the time to A$3.16 million.

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai led the early exchanges in rapid bidding for Green as his price ticked past the million-dollar mark in seconds, before Delhi Capitals entered the fray, creating a three-way tussle for the 23-year-old Western Australian.

RCB soon dropped out as Delhi and Mumbai traded bids as Green's price went above A$3m.

IPL's most expensive Australian buys

Cameron Green: A$3.15m (17.5 crore) Mumbai Indians, 2022

Pat Cummins: A$3.16m (15.5 crore) Kolkata Knight Riders, 2020

Glenn Maxwell: A$2.52m (14.25 crore) RCB, 2021

Jhye Richardson: AA$2.48m (14 crore) Punjab Kings, 2021

David Warner: A$2.3m (12 crore) Sunrisers Hyderabad. 2018

Steve Smith: A$2.3m (12 crore) Rajasthan Royals 2018
*AUD conversions correct at time of auction

Green said he was "shaking" as the gavel banged down as the enormity of the life-changing price tag sunk in.

"I'm pinching myself that this has all happened," Green said tonight in comments released by Cricket Australia.

"It's such a weird feeling watching an auction for yourself. I can't believe how nervous I was and I was shaking like anything when the final call was confirmed.

"I've always been a huge fan of the IPL and it's going to be so cool to be a part of it.

"The Mumbai Indians are one of the powerhouses of the competition so I feel very humbled to be joining them. I can't wait to get there next year."

It will be a Western Australia cohort at Mumbai after the club also bought Perth Scorchers star Jhye Richardson for his base price of A$270,000. The pair will be joined at Mumbai by Tim David and Jason Behrendorff, both of whom were already retained by the franchise for the 2023 season.

Richardson's price was a drop of A$2.2m compared to the figure he fetched at the 2021 auction with Punjab Kings.

Adam Zampa (A$270,000) meanwhile, was a last-minute pick-up by the Rajasthan Royals, who also swooped Joe Root, with the England Test great securing a first IPL contract.

As dizzying as Green's price tag was, it could not reach the heights set by England allrounder Sam Curran who became the overall most expensive buy in the history of the IPL when he went for a whopping A$3.33m to Punjab Kings.

Five teams were involved in the bidding for Currant that saw his value skyrocket up to A$2m in seconds, with Punjab eventually winning out.

Curran's 18.5 crore price tag smashed the previous overall record of 16.25 crore held by South Africa pacer Chris Morris set for the 2021 season.

Former Hobart Hurricanes batter Harry Brook set the auction alight early with a bidding war that saw him eventually sold for A$2.38 million to Sunrisers Hyderabad, who outbid the Rajasthan Royals.

Brook managed just nine runs in his first four games for the Hurricanes last summer and was dropped soon after with a top score of 22 and a strike rate of 75.86. He has since gone on to most recently score three successive Test centuries against Pakistan as part of England's Baz-ball revolution.

His price of 13.25 crore made him the most expensive specialist batter ever sold at an IPL mini auction.

At the same time England announced their Test squad to face New Zealand, Ben Stokes was bought for A$2.9m by Chennai Super Kings. Former Test captain Joe Root had earlier gone unsold without attracting a bid.

The massive pay day will only add to Green's feeling of a "weird" summer which has seen him often surplus to requirements with both bat and ball during emphatic wins in the NRMA Insurance Tests against the West Indies and South Africa.

"It's definitely been a weird start to the summer for myself not having to do too much," Green said this week.

"Being the allrounder you are kind of like the guy to help out if the team needs. At the moment it feels like I am not really needed in a way, but that is obviously a sign of how well we are playing."

Australia Test and ODI captain Cummins had previously announced he would skip the 2023 IPL season, citing a packed international schedule featuring Test tours of India and England, and a 50-over World Cup tournament.

He had been bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for A$1.35m at last year's auction but was released from their contract list this year.

"I've made the difficult decision to miss next year's IPL. The international schedule is packed with Tests and ODI's for the next 12 months, so will take some rest ahead of an Ashes series and World Cup," Cummins said in November.

Australians in the 2023 IPL auction

SOLD

Cameron Green: A$3.15m to Mumbai Indians (base price A$360,000)

Jhye Richardson A$270,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price A$270,000)

Adam Zampa A$270,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price A$270,000)

Daniel Sams A$135,000 to Lucknow Super Giants (base price A$135,000)

Unsold

Travis Head (base price A$360,000), Riley Meredith (A$270,000), Lance Morris (A$54,000), Josh Philippe (A$135,000), Peter Hatzoglou (A$36,000), Chris Lynn (A$360,000), Sean Abbott (A$270,000), Ben Dwarshuis (A$90,000), Billy Stanlake (A$90,000), Andrew Tye (A$180,000), Moises Henriques (A$180,000), D'Arcy Short (A$135,000), Nathan Coulter-Nile (A$270,000), Nathan McAndrew (A$36,000), Hayden Kerr (A$36,000), Jack Prestwidge (A$36,000)

Withdrawn

Ben McDermott (base price A$90,000)

Retained by franchises for 2023

Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Mitch Marsh

Mumbai Indians: Jason Behrendorff, Tim David

Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis

Gujurat Titans: Matthew Wade

Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood,