Sam Curran, the cricketer who won the player of the tournament title for the 2023 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, has been in the IPL T20 highlights for his incredible performance. Currans created history at the 2023 Indian Premiere League mega auction at Kochi by becoming the most expensive player in the history of the tournament. The Punjab-based franchise, Punjab Kings, roped in the English all-rounder for a whopping INR 18.50 crores, dethroning the South African all-rounder, Chris Morris, as the costliest IPL player in history. 

In 2019, Curran made his Indian Premier League debut with Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings) for a staggering amount of INR 7.20 crores. Not only that, Currans also broke Rohit Sharma’s ten-year-long record for the youngest player to claim an IPL hat-trick. He broke the record in his debut season (2019) when he was just 20. He made his international debut in 2018, and his career trajectory has only moved upward ever since. Curran’s exceptional bowling caliber and aggressive batting have made him a global cricket superstar at such a young age. Let’s take a look at the cricket journey of Sam Curran.

Early Life and Background

Born on 03rd  June 1998, in Northampton-a market city in England, Sam Curran is an English all-rounder who plays across all formats of the game. Curran was born into a cricketing family, as his father, Mr. Kevin Curran, was one of the most effective Zimbabwean players in the 80s. Being surrounded by the sport from a very young age, Curran was fascinated by cricket and its rules since childhood. As soon as he learned to walk, he started playing cricket with his father and brothers at home. Curran represented his school in interschool competitions across the state, and it didn’t take too long for people to notice his caliber. He spent the majority of his life in England.

After his father died, the Curran brothers got the opportunity to complete their education and cricket training at Wellington College in Berkshire, England, all under the watchful eyes of Kevin’s close friend and former South African cricketer, Allan Lamb. Curran remained focused on honing his craft since his arrival at Wellington and was soon spotted by selectors. He got the opportunity to play for the Surry Country Cricket Club. Sam’s batting prowess and bowling caliber were on display throughout his country’s cricket tournament and got him his first-class debut with the Surry at the Oval in 2015.

International Career

Curran showed exceptional skills for someone his age and was soon called to be in England’s squad for the 2018 Test series against Pakistan. His international debut during the 2nd Test against Pakistan at Headingley was a hit, as he knocked off two wickets and scored satisfactory runs while batting in the lower order. Not only that, Curran also won the Player of the Series title at the end of the Test series.

His next Test series against India came two months after his debut, and it was a testament to Curran’s caliber, as he dominated the entire series with consistently challenging deliveries. He earned his maiden player of the match title in the first Test against India for picking up four wickets and scoring a half-century in the first innings. Curran has played 24 Tests since his debut and knocked off 47 wickets at a bowling average of 35.51 and an economy rate of 3.23, including one four-wicket haul. He has not been able to surpass his second Test performance against India so far.

Curran’s ODI debut against Australia came just a month after his international debut, wherein he took 2 for 44 from his six overs of bowling. In his 23 ODIs so far, Curran has knocked off 26 wickets at 36.38, with an economy rate of 5.86. The English all-rounder hasn’t shied away from showing his batting caliber and scored over 300 runs with a respectable strike rate of 96.36. 

His best ODI performance came during the 2021 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. In the 2nd ODI of the series against Sri Lanka, Curran knocked off five wickets at an economy rate of 4.80. His ODI four-wicket-haul came this year during England’s tour of Bangladesh.

Curran has also picked 42 wickets at 22.26, with an economy rate of 7.64 from his 38 T20 International matches so far. He dominated the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with his deliveries. He was the second-highest wicket-taker of the T20 tournament with 13 wickets under his belt, and his best performance came during the 14th match against Afghanistan, wherein he took five wickets and won the Player of the Match title.

Indian Premier League

Curran’s IPL journey began in 2019 when the player was roped into the Punjab squad for over 7 crores. He picked up 13 wickets at 32.32, with an economy rate of 9.78, and made an instant impact. The following seasons of the Indian Premier League were a hit for the English all-rounder.

Overall, he has scored 533 runs and picked up 39 wickets from his 43 IPL matches so far. He was a part of the Chennai squad for two years before he made his comeback with the Punjab Kings this season. Curran is the costliest player of the 2023 IPL season. So far, he has picked up seven wickets at 55.57, with an economy rate of 10.28 for the Punjab Kings.

Awards and Achievements

1. Curran owns the title of the youngest IPL player to claim a hat-trick, which previously belonged to Indian skipper – Rohit Sharma.
2. He won the Player of the Series title for the Test series against India in 2018.
3. In 2019, the English all-rounder was named Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year award along with Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Rory Burns, and Tammy Beaumont.
4. Professional Cricketers’ Association, a representative body of legendary first-class cricketers in England, named him the Emerging Player of the Year in 2019.
5. In the 2023 IPL mega auction, Curran became the most expensive cricketer in the history of the tournament. He was bought by the Punjab-based franchise for a staggering amount of INR 18.50 crores.