Raking all Punjab Kings' buys at the IPL 2023 Auction 

Punjab Kings (PBKS) once again made headlines in an Indian Premier League (IPL) auction when they broke the bank to buy England's sought-after all-rounder Sam Curran on Friday, December 23.

PBKS went into the auction with a dearth of all-rounders and paid a record sum of ₹18.50 crore to sign Curran. With this, Curran became the most expensive player ever in IPL history.

Overall, the Shikhar Dhawan-led franchise bought six players at a combined total of ₹20 crore. However, they still had a purse remaining of ₹12.20 which went unutilized.

Here, we rank all the acquisitions made by Punjab Kings at the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi on Friday, December 23.

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#1 Sam Curran (₹18.50 crore): 9.5/10

Their marquee signing of the season, Sam Curran, will certainly influence the balance of the side largely due to his multi-skilled abilities. While the left-hander can tonk the ball long and be used as a pinch-hitter, his death bowling prowess has touched a new level in recent times.

Pairing Curran with Arshdeep in death overs will mean PBKS can use star pacer Kagiso Rabada a bit more with the new ball - where he can be much more lethal.

Curran was Punjab Kings' primary target, which they were able to secure given that they were still left with ₹12.20 crore even after paying ₹18.50 crore for him.

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#2 Sikander Raza (₹50 lakh): 9/10

For the very first time, Sikander Raza will ply his trade in the IPL after the Punjab-based franchise bought him at the IPL 2023 mini-auction on Friday. Snapping the Zimbabwean stalwart for his base price of ₹50 lakh might just turn out to be one of the most shrewd moves by an IPL franchise this season.

Raza has been a standout performer, especially in T20Is, having amassed 735 runs at an average of 35 across 23 innings. He has also been a wicket-taker for his side, having taken 25 scalps in 24 innings.

While it might be a headache for the Punjab Kings think tank on how to include Raza in the starting XI, they certainly have a utility player with great temperament in their ranks at a bargain price.

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#3 Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa (₹20 lakh each): 8.5/10

Punjab Kings have added three players, including Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh, and Vidwath Kaverappa - all for their base price of ₹20 lakh. This could be seen as a move to invest in young Indian talents and create a bench strength for the future.

Born in Karnataka, Kaverappa is brilliant with the new ball and has a knack for swinging it both ways. In the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022, the right-arm pacer was the second-highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps at an immaculate average of under 11 and an economy of just 6.5 across eight games.

Shivam Singh, on the other hand, is a Bihar-born aggressive lower-order dasher who also bowls handy off-spin as well. He is still an unproven commodity in competitive cricket, having only played a couple of first-class matches.

Lastly, PBKS bought Mohit Rathee for ₹20 lakh. Rathee, who hails from Haryana, has the ability to bowl tight lines and lengths and relies on his leg-breaks more often than not.

While he is still an unproven commodity in senior-level cricket, sharing the dressing room alongside some of the greats in Punjab Kings can do wonders for Rathee.

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#4 Harpreet Singh Bhatia (₹40 lakh): 7.5/10

With Mayank Agarwal's ouster ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, Punjab have not found a solid enough replacement at the top order. Harpreet Singh Bhatia could be a possible replacement, being the lone pick from the auction.

While the Chattisgarh skipper has a decade of experience in domestic matches and has previously been part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he is well past his prime.

While Punjab Kings opted to go for the 31-year-old, they could have also looked to the future and picked up a relatively young top-order talent.