Money talks and nothing speaks as loudly as the riches offered by the Indian Premier League.
A total of 10 teams provide the best cricketers in the world – apart from those of Pakistan, unfortunately – a chance to not only play in the most competitive tournament in the world but also take home some of the biggest cheques in professional sport for what is a two-month tournament.
This year's tournament has already broken a number of records months before the 2023 season kicks off in April.
England all-rounder Sam Curran emerged as the most expensive player in the history of the tournament as he was picked up by Punjab Kings for an eye-watering bid of 185 million Indian rupees ($2.26 million) following a fierce bidding war with Chennai Super Kings.
Curran has become a high-profile white-ball player after his tournament-winning effort in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
Fellow England star all-rounder Ben Stokes, young batsman Harry Brook and Australia's Cameroon Green were some of the other players to hit the jackpot during the player auction last month.
Top 20 highest paid cricketers in IPL 2023
1. Sam Curran (Punjab Kings): 185 million rupees (approximately $2.26m)
2. Cameron Green (Mumbai Indians): 175m rupees ($2.14m)
3. KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants): 170m rupees ($2m)
4. Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings): 162.5m rupees ($1.98m)
5= Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants): 160m rupees ($1.95m)
5= Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings): 160m rupees ($1.95m)
5= Rishabh Pant* (Delhi Capitals): 160m rupees ($1.95m)
5= Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): 160m rupees ($1.95m)
5= Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians): 160m rupees ($1.95m)
10. Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians): 152.5m rupees ($1.86m)
11. Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans): 150m rupees ($1.8m)
11= Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans): 150m rupees ($1.8m)
11= Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers): 150m rupees ($1.8m)
14. Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals): 140m rupees ($1.7m)
14= Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings): 140m rupees ($1.7m)
16. Harry Brook (Sunrisers Hyderabad): 132.5m rupees ($1.6m)
17. Shreyas Iyer ** (Kolkata Knight Riders): 122.5m rupees ($1.5m)
18. Varun Chakravarthy (Kolkata Knight Riders): 120m rupees ($1.45m)
18= Jasprit Bumrah* (Mumbai Indians): 120m rupees ($1.45m)
18= Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals): 120m rupees ($1.45m)
* Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah injured and unavailable for tournament. ** Shreyas Iyer unavailable
Last five meetings
2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil
2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil
1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil
1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil
1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil
Note: All friendlies
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Results:
First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15
Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press