IPL 2023 Auction Preview – 5 players to watch out for

A total of 405 players will go under the hammer at the 2023 IPL auction on the 23rd of December as the ten teams look to fine-tune their squads ahead of the upcoming season. There are a maximum of 87 slots available across the ten franchises – 30 overseas and 57 local – and here are the five players who could fetch the highest bids at the auction in Kochi.

1. Sam Curran (England) – Base Price: INR 2 Cr

Sam Curran was the player of the tournament at the recently-concluded 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and could become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL auction this year. The English all-rounder has evolved as a T20 cricketer over the years, vastly improving his death bowling and power-hitting range against spin.

The Englishman has already played a starring role for an IPL-winning franchise in 2021 for CSK, and his rare skillset makes him one of the most sought-after players at the 2023 IPL auction.

2. Ben Stokes (England) – Base Price: INR 2 Cr

Ben Stokes has only played one Indian Premier League match since 2020, but plenty of teams will look to go after the veteran all-rounder at the auction. Stokes was part of England’s World Cup-winning squad at the 2022 T20 World Cup, and teams like the Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad could break the bank for the Englishman to add some more star power to their ranks.

3. Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) – Base Price: INR 2 Cr

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.

4. Cameron Green (Australia) – Base Price: INR 2 Cr

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 at a strike rate of over 200. Green struggled at the 2022 T20 World Cup for Australia, but the IPL teams will be looking to bet on his future potential and skill set and go all out on the all-rounder at this auction.

5. Mayank Agarwal (India) – Base Price: INR 1 Cr 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, with 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 in the Indian Premier League.