The much-awaited players’ auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is just a day away, and the franchises have explored all options to bolster their squads. Many big players will be seen during the bidding event, and one of them would be former England Test captain Joe Root, who has registered his name for the auction.
Notably, Root did feature in the 2018 auction but could not attract offers and went unsold. Root last appeared in a T20I series in 2019 and was not part of the previous two T20 World Cup squads for 2021 and 2022. He has played in some domestic tournaments like the T20 Blast, the Hundred, and the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Sydney Thunder in 2018-19.
Root will be hoping to get picked by any of the ten franchise. On that note, let’s have a look at three teams that can target Root in the upcoming auction.
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
After releasing Kane Williamson, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be looking for a quality skipper for the upcoming season, and Root can fill that spot. Root has plenty of experience, and just like former skipper Kane, Root s also famous for his calmness and composure.
Notably, the Kavya Maran-owned Sunrisers have the maximum amount of money, with INR 42.25 crores remaining in their purse. Since SRH do not have reliable candidates for the leadership role, they are most likely to go for Root in the auction.
Punjab Kings:
Like the Sunrisers, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will also be in need of a captain as they have released their skipper Mayank Agarwal. The right-handed batter had a terrible time with the willow in the previous season, scoring only 196 runs from 13 matches.
Kings would be eyeing a suitable replacement for Mayank in the new season, and Root, having experience of batting in the middle order, could be a perfect choice. Further, Punjab have the second highest purse (INR 32.2 crores) left, which can help them explore options.
Lucknow Super Giants:
Unlike SRH and PBKS, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) don’t have to worry about finding a leader as they are already blessed with KL Rahul’s services. The Lucknow team had a tremendous season earlier this year and would be looking for solutions for their area of concern exposed in IPL 2022.
While the captaincy department was fine with LSG, the inexperienced middle order was their biggest cause of concern last season. The Lucknow team will eye an experienced campaigner, and Root could be the ideal candidate. Notably, after releasing Manish Pandey and Evin Lewis, LSG will certainly look to boost their middle order.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023auction will be held in Kochi on December 23 and all franchises have been informed about the new ‘impact player rule’ by the BCCI.
Unlike the 2022’s mega auction, this time auction will feature fewer players – 405 names have been shortlisted out of 991. Among them, 273 are Indians, while 132 are from other countries. All ten franchises will have a total of 87 slots, 30 of which will be filled by foreign players.
Ahead of the auction, BCCI has explained the concept of Impact Player, which will be one of the major rules to be introduced in IPL 2023, to all team owners.
“From IPL 2023 Season, a tactical/strategic concept will be introduced to add a new dimension to IPL, wherein one substitute player per team will be able to take a more active part in an IPL match,” said BCCI.
Each team can have an Impact Player, which has to be a domestic player and not a foreign cricketer unless there are less than ‘4 overseas stars’ in the starting XI.
BCCI’s rules about Impact Player
The Captain of the team can nominate the Impact Player.
An impact Player can only be an Indian player unless there are fewer than 4 overseas players in the Playing XI.
The Impact Player can be introduced before the start of the innings, or after an over is completed.
For a batsman, an impact player can be brought in at the fall of the wicket, or the batter retiring at any time during the over.
A Player who is replaced by an Impact Player (“Replaced Player”) can no longer take part in the remainder of the match and is also not permitted to return as a substitute fielder.
The BCCI made it clear that the Impact Player can play any role during the game but cannot act as a captain.
In case an Impact Player is used by a team, and if an injury occurs, the same rule will apply as they currently do under playing conditions.
If umpires are satisfied that a fielder has been injured or becomes ill during the match, a substitute fielder is allowed to field in place of an injured player. The substitute shall not bowl or act as captain.
The BCCI has said that teams need to identify the playing XI and 4 substitutes at the time of the toss. Of the 4 substitutes named in the team sheet, only one player can be used as an Impact player.
The bowling team can also get an Impact Player during the fall of the wicket, but that Impact Player will not be permitted to bowl the remaining balls of the over if the wicket has fallen mid-over.
Both teams are allowed to use one Impact Player per match. It is, however, not compulsory. It is up to teams whether they want to use the Impact Player or not.
The mini-auction ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is all set to take place on December 23 in Kochi. Prior to the bidding process, the final list of players who will go under the hammer was released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This time around, as many as 405 cricketers will be part of the auction, which include 273 Indians and 132 overseas players.
Notably, IPL has always been a major platform for top-quality overseas stars, and more often than not, many foreign cricketers have featured in the list of most expensive buys. The upcoming auction won’t be different either, as there could be quite a few overseas players who will trigger a bidding war amongst the 10 franchises. On that note, let’s have a look at six such cricketers who could be among the most expensive buys in Kochi on December 23.
1) Cameron Green
Cameron Green (AUS)
Like every auction, the major focus of franchises will be on picking quality all-rounders, as they are always in demand due to their versatile role. All-rounders often fetch big money at auctions, and Cameron Green, the Australian sensation, is likely to be in the centre.
Green has already impressed with his bowling stint as he tends to utilise his tall height, which helps him hit the hard lengths. The 23-year-old is one of the very few all-rounders who can bat at the top order.
Following his exploits with the bat in India earlier this year, it is likely that the swashbuckling Aussie star will be an eye-catching player in the auctions. Notably, the Western Australian has registered his name in the mini-auction of the lucrative tournament at a base price of INR 2 crore.
2) Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes (ENG)
England’s superstar Ben Stokes is most likely to cause an intense bidding war amongst the IPL franchises as every team needs a kind of player who can not only contribute in all departments but also lead the side.
Having Stokes in the team will solve many problems of any franchise as he can bat in the top order as well as be a finisher. Further, the England Test skipper can also open the bowling and deliver the death overs too.
Stokes, who has registered himself at a base price of INR 2 crore, will undoubtedly be a hot property at the mini-auction. The Christchurch-born has so far played 43 games in the cash-rich league, in which he has scored 920 runs, including two centuries and as many fifties, and has also taken 28 wickets at an 8.55 economy rate.
3) Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran (WI)
In modern-day cricket, every team needs an explosive wicketkeeper-batter, and Nicholas Pooran fills that requirement quite brilliantly. That’s the reason why he was bought at a heavy price in the previous auction, but his form in the lucrative league was a major disappointment, and hence was released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Pooran had an average campaign in the last season, managing 306 runs at an average of 38.25. However, he has got his form back ahead of the IPL 2023. Notably, the left-handed batter was the leading run-getter in the recently-concluded Abu Dhabi T10 2022-23. He scored 345 runs in 10 matches at an average of 49.28 and a mind-boggling strike rate of 234.69 for the Deccan Gladiators.
Overall, Pooran has played 47 matches in the cash-rich league, having scored 912 runs at an average of 26.05 and a strike rate of 151.24, along with four half-centuries. There is no denying that Pooran will be on the radar of franchises that need a wicketkeeper and a quality top-order batter.
4) Sam Curran
Sam Curran (ENG)
One of the major talking points in the lead-up to the mini-auction is England star, Sam Curran. The top-quality all-rounder has already proved he can create an impact with both ball and the bat and has done that at the highest level in the T20 World Cup 2022. Curran was Player of the Tournament as well as the Player of the Match in the final of the global showpiece event in Australia, where England defeated Pakistan in the summit clash.
Besides his all-round heroics, the biggest plus point for Curran is that he is only 24 and has a hell lot of cricket left in him. He played two seasons for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), including 2021, when the MS Dhoni-led side won the prestigious trophy. However, the Northhampton cricketer missed the 2022 season as he recovered from back surgery.
Curran is part of the second set of players to come up for bidding, and all the teams will fancy having him in their ranks. When it comes to the IPL, the 24-year-old has taken 32 wickets from 32 matches at an economy rate of 9.21. With the bat, the left-handed batter has scored 337 runs at a strike rate of 149.77, including two fifties.
5) Harry Brook
Harry Brook (ENG)
A clean hitter, top-order batter and an emerging talent in the cricketing arena is England’s young star, Harry Brook. In his first international overseas trip to Pakistan, Brook was the Player-of-the-Series in the seven-match T20I leg after hitting 238 runs at a strike rate of 163.01. Even in the ongoing Test tour of Pakistan, Brook has been phenomenal, with 468 runs to his name in just three matches at a stunning average of 93.60 with three hundreds and one half-century.
The biggest advantage that Brook brings in is he can play both in any order and can dominate fast bowlers as well as spinners with natural ease, especially in the death overs.
Brook hasn’t yet played in the IPL, but his numbers in Asia are indeed quite impressive. The right-handed batter has scored 581 runs in 16 innings at an average of 64.55 and a strike rate of 167.43 with the help of one century and one fifty.
6) Rilee Rossouw
Rilee Rossouw (SA)
Since his return to international cricket in 2022 after six years, South African Rilee Rossouw has been super impressive and consistent in white-ball cricket. He played in T20 Blast this year, scoring 623 runs in 16 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 192.28, and was drafted into the national T20I squad.
Since his return, Rossouw has amassed 372 runs in 10 T20I innings at an average of 46.50, with the help of two centuries and three half-tons. The southpaw has the ability to play big innings and can be a centre of attraction in the IPL 2023 mini-auction.
Rossouw has also played in the cash-rich league in 2014 and 2015 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). But he only got five matches and scored 53 runs. The free-stroking left-handed batter would be an ideal choice for the franchises looking for a high-quality hitter at the top who can accelerate the run flow and also anchor the innings if required.
Exactly a week from now, i.e. on December 23, the much-awaited mini-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is set to take place in Kochi. Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the final list of players (405) who will go under the hammer.
Among the big list of players, one cricketer who is going to trigger a bidding war in the auction is England’s star, Ben Stokes. The top-quality all-rounder pulled out from the last edition of the cash-rich league to focus on his national duty.
There is no denying that Stokes will cause an intense bidding war, as every franchise will look to rope in the kind of all-rounder he is. Additionally, the Christchurch-born will also be an ideal choice for franchises looking for a captain in the upcoming season of the lucrative league. On that note, let’s have a look at five franchises that can target Stokes in the forthcoming mini-auction:
1.) Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have released several players, including all-rounders and their captain Kane Williamson. Hence, the 2016 champions will be looking for one quality cricketer who can fill both requirements and Stokes, by all margins, fits right in.
The advantage Stokes brings is that he can bat in the top order and be a finisher as the situation require, and the Sunrisers need such a cricketer. Since the Orange Army has the biggest purse, fans can expect them to go at full flow to acquire the services of England’s Test captain.
2.) Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have a similar story to the Sunrisers. They also got rid of quite a few players, including their skipper Mayank Agarwal, who didn’t impress at all both with the bat and his captaincy. Though, Punjab don’t need a captain as they have already named Shikhar Dhawan as the leader of the side.
PBKS had Odean Smith in the previous season, but he was not consistent, and therefore the Mohali-based franchise can target Stokes to be a finisher. Interestingly, Punjab already have two Englishmen in the form of Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone, and with Stokes’ inclusion, PBKS will be able to solve their top, middle and lower-order problem.
3.) Rajasthan Royals
Stokes was part of Rajasthan Royals (RR) along with his English teammate Jos Buttler, and there will be no surprise if the Royals would again go for Stoksey in the mini-auction. During his stint with the franchise, the 31-year-old scored 604 runs in 31 games and picked up 16 wickets for the side.
The only recognised batter Rajasthan have down the order is Riyan Parag, therefore, the 2008 IPL Winners need a high-quality all-rounder, and Stokes will fulfil all their requirements. Also, the Royals have a relatively inexperienced bowling attack, and having Stokes in the side will help the young pacers to learn how to bowl in crunch situations.
4.) Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have released Jason Holder from their squad, and without a question, they will look for an all-rounder. In that regard, Stokes could be an ideal choice. Although LSG have the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda, having Stokes in the side would make Lucknow look a really dangerous side.
Stokes is a ferocious striker of the ball and a remarkable hitter with the bat, and that’s exactly what Lucknow need to make a strong team. Since LSG have INR 23.35 crore in their purse, they can try hard to sign Stokes and add depth to their side.
5.) Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) didn’t have a fruitful campaign in the last edition, as they could only record four victories and finished the season as the ninth-ranked team. Ahead of the 2022 edition, CSK made all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja the captain, but he couldn’t do well and relinquished the post, giving it back to MS Dhoni.
Further, the Super Kings don’t have a quality bowling attack and a pace-bowling all-rounder as well. Since Stokes has the ability to do well with both bat and ball and can be a leader of the side, the 4-time IPL champions could well bid for the English superstar. CSK have INR 20.45 crores in their purse, and they can push a little further to acquire the services of Stokes.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has trimmed the players’ auction list of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to 405 from 991. Initially, a total of 369 players were shortlisted by 10 teams from the original list of 991 players.
Further, teams requested thirty-six additional players, which are added to the final list, making a total of 405 players who will go under the hammer in the mini-auction. Out of 405 players, 273 are Indians, and 132 are overseas cricketers, of which 4 players are from associate nations. The list of total capped players is 119, while the uncapped players are 282 and 4 are from associate nations.
INR 2 crore is the highest reserve price that comprises 19 overseas players. Similarly, 11 players are on the auction list with a base price of INR 1.5 crore. Regarding the base price of INR 1 crore, 20 cricketers are on this list, including the likes of Manish Pandey and Mayank Agarwal.
Here is the complete list of players:
Players with a base price of INR 2 Crore:
Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Jamie Overton, Craig Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Kane Williamson, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Rilee Rossouw, Rassie van der Dussen, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran.
Players with a base price of INR 1.5 Crore:
Sean Abbott, Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa, Shakib Al Hasan, Harry Brook, Will Jacks, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Sherfane Rutherford, Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Players with a base price of INR 1 Crore:
Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Moises Henriques, Andrew Tye, Joe Root, Luke Wood, Michael Bracewell, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kusal Perera, Roston Chase, Rakheem Cornwall, Shai Hope, David Wiese.
Players with a base price of INR 75 Lakh:
Reece Topley, Wayne Parnell, Daniel Sams, Joshua Philippe, Ish Sodhi, Tom Curran, D’Arcy Short, David Payne, Carlos Brathwaite.
Ashish Nehra, the head coach at Gujarat Titans, has said the franchise’s plans for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) season. All ten teams will enter the mini-auction on December 23 at Kochi to restructure their team and once again, the teams will fight out for the best players in the auction.
Nehra said that Gujarat Titans will make few changes to their title-winning squad and will go for a pace bowler in the coming auction. The Titans released the star New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson alongside Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jason Roy, Gurkeerat Singh, Dominic Drakes, and Varun Aaron ahead of IPL 2023.
Ferguson took 12 wickets from 13 innings during the 2022 edition of the tournament and now has joined Kolkata Knight Riders. They boost a quality pace option in form of Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, and Yash Dayal but definitely need reinforcement for the upcoming season. Nehra revealed that the Titans don’t have many requirements and will enter the auction with no big expectations.
We don’t have too many requirements: Ashish Nehra
“Even if you win, still you make a few changes as per needs. We might need a fast bowler. In a small auction you make changes as per requirements. We are no different,” Ashish Nehra told reporters on Friday. “We don’t have too many requirements as we haven’t released that many players. Domestic spot is also two or three left. It’s not that you will (always) get the player you want. There are nine more teams. So when that player comes into auction, that is also important,” he added.
Nehra also pointed out the competition for the title and said that no team is here to only participate but to win.
“Every year you want to win as a team. Nobody is here to participate but to win. There will be one winner but margin between win and loss is very little. Gurbaz is a good player and he had gone to a different franchise. There are lot of players who are international T20 captains, but don’t get picked in IPL We have played only one match final. If one lakh people support you, then it helps,” Nehra added.
The Impact Player rule iis likely to apply only for Indian players n the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. Last Thursday (December 1), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Impact Player concept for the upcoming IPL edition, although the board is yet to provide details on how it will work.
The Impact Player rule will allow a team to name a substitute during an ongoing match. Teams can name four substitute players and can bring in one during the live match in place of any player from the starting eleven.
“From IPL 2023 Season, a tactical/strategic concept will be introduced to add a new dimension to IPL, wherein one substitute player per team will be able to take a more active part in an IPL match.The regulations pertaining to the same will be issued shortly,” BCCI had said in a note on December 1.
As per a Cricbuzz report, all the franchises have been informed by BCCI that an overseas player cannot replace the Indian player and can not come in as a replacement for another overseas player playing in starting eleven. This rule will prevent teams from fielding five overseas players at any given time in the game and will hence conform with exisiting rule of playing a maximum of four overseas players in the match.
However, teams are likely to take advantage of this rule in the upcoming edition as they can introduce a specialist batter in place of a bowler while chasing and can bring in a specialist bowler in place of a batter while defending, which will hamper the credibility and importance of all-rounders.
The BCCI already implemented this rule in the domestic T20 tournament Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last month, with Delhi all-rounder Hrithik Shokeen becoming the first-ever Impact Player in the tournament during the game against Manipur.
“The concept is to allow one substitute player per team to take a more active part in a match. This would add a new tactical /strategic dimension to the game. A number of team sports allow teams to make tactical substitutes i.e. football, rugby, basketball, baseball. The substitute is allowed to perform or participate like any other regular player,” the BCCI had said.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene is set to leave as head coach of Southern Brave in the Hundred tournament. Under Jayawardene’s coaching, the franchise lifted a title in 2021, however, the franchise ended up at the seventh position with just three wins in eight games in 2022.
Jayawardene has not left officially, however, he has spoken with the management about it, as per an ESPNcricinfo report. The increased responsibilities after his recent promotion with the Mumbai Indians has been specified as the reason and Southern Brave are in the hunt for a new replacement.
Notably, Jayawardene has been the head coach of the Mumbai Indiansin the Indian Premier League since 2017 and has managed to take the side to three titles. His successful stints had earned him a promotion in the Mumbai setup as he was promoted to a global role, with the MI ownership expanding outside IPL. The Mumbai Indians are owners of MI Emirates in the ILT20 League and the MI Cape Town in the SA20.
Jayawardene was named the global head of performance for the entire franchises associated with the Mumbai Indians. The former batter will administer the coaching and scouting at all the three teams in his new role. Following his promotion, Jayawardene stepped down as Mumbai Indians’ head coach, with Mark Boucher replacing him for the upcoming edition in 2023.
“It is an honor and privilege to be appointed as Head Coach of MI. Their history and achievements as a franchise clearly put them up there as one of the most successful sporting franchises in all of world sport. I look forward to the challenge and respect the need for results. It’s a strong unit with great leadership and players. I look forward to adding value to this dynamic unit,” told Boucher after taking up the head coach role.
Captains call the shots on a cricket field. They marshal their troops and try to bring the best out of the team. In tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL), a role of a skipper is more important than ever as in a fast-paced T20 format, one decision can make all the difference.
Captaining a side in a high-pressure environment is not everyone’s cup of tea and when we talk about the cash-rich league, not many skippers have aced the role. The likes of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and David Warner are some of the best leaders the T20 extravaganza has seen. However, there are a few players in the IPL whom fans might not remember as captains.
Here are five IPL captains that many may have forgotten:
5. James Hopes
James Hopes was a proven performer for Australia in the 50-overs format. The 44-year-old featured in 84 games and scored 1326 runs at a strike rate of 93.71. On the bowling front, he bagged 67 scalps at an economy of 4.53. The Queensland-born displayed his all-round prowess in the IPL as well. He smashed 417 runs in 21 games at a strike rate of 136.27 and bagged 14 wickets in the competition.
Interestingly, Hopes also led a franchise in the lucrative T20 tournament. During his stint with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2011, when skipper Virender Sehwag got ruled out of the last three games of the season, the franchise looked at the former Australian all-rounder to carry out the leadership duties.
The Delhi franchise needed to win all three games to stand a chance to qualify for the playoffs. However, with Hopes at the helm, the Daredevils lost two games and one game got abandoned due to rain. As a result, Delhi were the wooden spoon holders of the season, with just nine points from 14 matches.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer reckons that one good IPL season is not the right parameter of awarding the India cap to any player and that they should also perform consistently in the next two-three domestic seasons as well.
In the last couple of years, a few players including Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, etc. have been drafted into the Indian squad on the basis of their IPL performances. Unfortunately for them, they get dropped from the side after string of inconsistent shows during the course of their journey.
Among this lot, only middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh have gone on to successfully establish themselves as regular members in India’s white-ball formats.
Let them be fully ready: Wasim Jaffer
Taking to his official Twitter handle, Wasim Jaffer wrote, “Selectors don’t need to pick whoever does well in their 1st IPL season. Let them perform consistently for 2-3 seasons in FC too. Let them be fully ready. That’s a reason we confuse ourselves with selection dilemma. Ind cap shouldn’t be given easily & quickly. It should be earned”.
Selectors don’t need to pick whoever does well in their 1st IPL season. Let them perform consistently for 2-3 seasons in FC too. Let them be fully ready. That’s a reason we confuse ourselves with selection dilemma. Ind cap shouldn’t be given easily & quickly. It should be earned.
Notably, a few players like Sarfaraz Khan and Prithivi Shaw who have been showcasing consistent performances at the domestic level are constantly getting ignored by the national selectors. It now remains to be seen what will be the roadmap prepared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the national selection committee unanimously with an eye on the next year’s 50-overs World Cup at home.
India have failed to win a major ICC tournament after the 2013 Champions Trophy and since then, they have made the semis and finals of the marquee competitions where they eventually ran out of fire and brimstone during crucial matches.
