Stunning Comebacks and Bidding Wars: IPL Auction 2023 Highlights

Royal Challengers Bengaluru re-signed seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for $1.28 million during the IPL auction in Saudi Arabia. High-value deals included Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, while Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings strengthened their rosters with talented bowlers and all-rounders. The auction showcased intense competition for top players.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru made headlines by re-signing their former seamer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, for a whopping 107.5 million Indian rupees ($1.28 million) on the second day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction held in Saudi Arabia. The intense bidding war appeared to be dominated by Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants until Bengaluru made a decisive move with their first bid, enhancing their bowling lineup for the upcoming season.

The auction, held in Jeddah, saw lucrative deals on its opening day, with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer securing contracts worth 270 million and 267.5 million rupees, respectively, breaking previous records in the world's wealthiest Twenty20 tournament. Monday saw more action as Mumbai Indians acquired Deepak Chahar for 92.5 million rupees, Delhi Capitals signed Mukesh Kumar for 80 million rupees, and Lucknow Super Giants enlisted Akash Deep for the same amount, highlighting the high demand for Indian fast bowlers.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings successfully contended with Mumbai and Gujarat Titans to obtain South African all-rounder Marco Jansen for 70 million rupees. Other notable transactions include England's Sam Curran returning to Chennai for 24 million rupees, far less than the 185 million rupees Punjab paid in 2022, Mumbai's acquisition of Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar for 48 million rupees, and India all-rounder Washington Sundar joining Gujarat for a bargain of 32 million rupees.

(With inputs from agencies.)