05 players are set to go under the hammer at the 2023 IPL auction in Kochi as the ten teams look to finalize their squads ahead of the upcoming season on the 23rd of December. There are a maximum of 87 slots available across the ten franchises – 30 overseas and 57 local – at the 2023 IPL auction, and a whole host of star players from across the world are set to fetch record-setting sums, including the likes of Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Mayank Agarwal.
Here is our IPL 2023 auction preview, looking at the five players that could be the most in-demand this Friday.
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Base Price: INR 2 Cr
Possible interested teams: CSK, LSG, MI, PBKS, SRH
The player of the tournament at the 2022 T20 World Cup could become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL auction, as plenty of teams will be in hot pursuit of Sam Curran and his rare skill set. The English all-rounder has evolved as a T20 cricketer over the years, improving his death bowling and power-hitting against spin. Additionally, at just 24, Curran could be one of the mainstays of a T20 team for the next 2-3 auction cycles, making him one of the most sought-after players in the world.
Curran already has Indian Premier League pedigree, playing an integral part in CSK’s title-winning side in 2021, and teams like SRH, PBKS, CSK, and MI with more than INR 20 Cr in their bank could go all out for the left-armer at the 2023 IPL auction.
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Base Price: INR 2 Cr
Possible interested teams: CSK, LSG, RR, PBKS, SRH
Ben Stokes has only played one Indian Premier League match since 2020, but plenty of teams will be interested in his diverse skill set at the auction. Stokes was part of England’s World Cup-winning squad at the 2022 T20 World Cup, and although his numbers have declined in the format in recent years, the all-rounder still offers plenty of experience and leadership to go along with his on-field contributions.
Stokes can bat as an opener or in the middle order as a finisher, and teams like LSG, CSK, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad could break the bank for the Englishman to add some more star power to their ranks.
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Base Price: INR 2 Cr
Possible interested teams: KKR, SRH, PBKS
Nicholas Pooran is one of the premier middle-order batters available in the 2023 IPL auction and could fetch one of the highest sums in the bidding process this year. The wicket-keeper scored over 300 runs at a strike rate of 144 in IPL 2022 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and is one of the most fearsome spin-hitters in world cricket in the middle order. Pooran has had a poor couple of months for the West Indies as captain leading up to the World Cup, but his all-round skill set and high intent could make him one of the highest-paid players at the 2023 IPL auction.
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Base Price: INR 2 Cr
Possible interested teams: CSK, LSG, MI, PBKS, SRH
Cameron Green gave the perfect audition to the ten Indian Premier League teams during Australia’s three-match T20I series in India earlier this year, with the opener laying waste to the Indian bowlers and scoring two fifties. Green is still a work in progress as a T20 cricketer but has all the raw tools needed – hitting range, pace, bounce – to be a highly effective player in this format. Green might not fetch sums in the same stratosphere as Curran or Stokes, but many teams could bet on his future potential and go all out on the Australian at this IPL auction.
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Base Price: INR 1 Cr
Possible interested teams: SRH, CSK, GT, KKR
Mayank Agarwal is the biggest Indian name at the 2023 IPL auction, and the former Punjab Kings captain could fetch the highest sum for a local player given his pedigree and record at the IPL over the last few seasons. Agarwal is an aggressive opener capable of scoring quickly against pace and spin. Although he had a forgettable time in IPL 2022, an average of 16 at a strike rate of 123, only Prithvi Shaw and Jos Buttler have higher strike rates than the Indian amongst openers since the 2020 season.
[Featured Image Credit: IPL]
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