"Had 10-15 messages from people who were there four years ago" - England all-rounder on being picked by CSK in IPL 2025 auction

England all-rounder Sam Curran has opened up on returning for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the southpaw having previously played for the decorated franchise, he revealed getting plenty of messages from who he already knew from there.

The Surrey cricketer featured in 23 matches across IPL 2020 and 2021, playing under MS Dhoni's captaincy. The auction for the 2025 edition that took place in Saudi Arabia saw Curran go for ₹2.4 crore to the Super Kings.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, the 26-year-old reflected that he felt quite excited when the Super Kings signed him. He said that he will have an opportunity to work with Stephen Fleming due to having a winning mindset.

"I was buzzing. Chennai was where I kickstarted my IPL career. As soon as I was picked up, I had 10-15 messages from people who were there four years ago. I've played there as the away team, and you see the love for the players. It also helps when you have the habit of winning and great consistency with [Stephen] Fleming and those guys who have been there since the start."

Ahead of the 2023 edition, the England cricketer fetched a record ₹18.5 from the Punjab Kings. With Shikhar Dhawan injured for a few games in the 2024 edition, Curran also captained the franchise but couldn't deliver the requisite performances.

"There were loads of different reasons I didn't get picked" - Sam Curran on his omission for England tour of India

Sam Curran. (Image Credits: Getty)

Curran also expressed his disappointment at not getting the nod for England's limited-overs tour of India and the 2025 Champions Trophy. The youngster highlighted that he didn't fit the team composition.

"There were loads of different reasons I didn't get picked. More so the T20s, but I naturally felt I should have been in both teams. But they've obviously got their plans and you can look at the way they're lining up now. The 50-over side is going to be similar to the T20 line-up, and they wanted the same structure of the top six."

Revealing his conversation with head coach Brendon McCullum, Curran said it gave him clarity on what he needed to do to regain his spot in the side.

"He just said: 'You're not in right now, but go away, score runs and take wickets.' I respected it a lot: sometimes you just get the easy: 'It's not the end.' But it was pretty clear what they wanted me to do."

England, nevertheless, lost the five-game T20I series in India 4-1.