The IPL 2023 auction is set to take the center stage on December 23, the event to be held in Kochi. Earlier in the week, the BCCI confirmed with all the 10 IPL franchises a list of the 405 players, pruned from an earlier list of 991 registered players, that will go under the hammer.
Out of these 405 players, 273 are Indian players and 132 are overseas including four from the associate nations. The total number of capped players is 119, uncapped players are 282, and 4 are from associate countries. After the releasing of the players by the 10 franchises, a maximum of 87 players, with up to 30 overseas, can be bought at the IPL 2023 auction.
Ever since its inception back in 2008, the IPL has been a breeding ground for young, and uncapped Indian players, who shoot up in the limelight either in the auction or during the tournament.
Here are 5 uncapped Indian players who could be in demand in the IPL 2023 mini-auction:
Narayan Jagadeesan
It can very much be expected that Tamil Nadu’s Narayan Jagadeesan is likely to be the most expensive uncapped Indian player at the IPL 2023 auction, courtesy of his recent explots in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Just a few days after being released by Chennai Super Kings, Narayan Jagadeesan broke the world record by becoming the first-ever batsman in the history of the game to hit 5 consecutive List-A centuries, the last of which was a mammoth knock of 277 runs off 141 balls – the highest individual List-A score in men’s cricket.
Jagadeesan had been part of the CSK squad for the past 5 seasons – from 2018 to 2022 – but only got to play in 7 matches, and only 2 in IPL 2022 after the team had been eliminated from the playoff race. Now that the right-hander has shown his potential, caliber, and abilities by shattering world records, the IPL franchises will splurge on Jagadeesan in the auction.
Prerak Mankad
Saurashtra all-rounder Prerak Mankad was with Punjab Kings last season, bought for INR 20 lakh, but was released after playing in just one game – wherein he hit a boundary off the only ball he faced – and now will enter the IPL 2023 auction.
A right-handed middle-order batsman and a seam bowler, Prerak Mankad has an impressive T20 domestic record: in 42 T20 matches, with the bat, Mankad averages 30 and scores at a strike rate of 142, and with the ball, he’s taken 22 wickets while maintaining a decent economy of 8.53. Every franchise craves a seam-bowling all-rounder, and being an Indian in that category, Prerak Mankad should get decent bids.
Shivam Mavi
In perhaps a surprising turn of events, express fast bowler Shivam Mavi has been released by KKR, but the 24-year-old shouldn’t have any problem finding a team. Maybe even KKR would buy him back, but for a lesser price than the 7.25 crore they recklessly splurged in the last mega-auction.
Mavi, a 2018 under-19 World Cup winner, spent the last 5 IPL seasons at KKR, but failed to make any significant impact, picking up 30 wickets in 32 matches; last season, he played 6 matches, picked 5 wickets, leaked at more than 10 runs an over before being dropped.
Vaibhav Arora
What you may also label as a surprise release of an Indian pacer is that of Vaibhav Arora by Punjab Kings. In his IPL debut last season vs CSK, the right-arm seamer was thoroughly impressive with his swing bowling and dismissed senior batters Robin Uthappa and Moeen Ali. Although after that, Arora’s performances dipped and he managed just one wicket in the next 4 innings.
Despite that, and the fact that he was bought for 2 crore, there was plenty of upside for Punjab to retain him. But they didn’t. And this might be a blessing for the 25-year-old Arora, who now could expect higher bids in the IPL 2023 auction.
KS Bharat
KS Bharat has been part of Team India’s Test squads in the past 12 months as the backup keeper to Pant and Saha but hasn’t got to make his India debut yet.
Bharat was with RCB in 2021 where he showcased his T20 skills – he averaged 38 in 7 innings – but in the IPL 2022, he got to feature in only 2 matches for Delhi Capitals where he managed just 8 runs before being released by the franchise that had brought him for 2 crore.
Nonetheless, Bharat’s extensive experience – 83 FC matches, 64 List-A, and 67 T20 games – and his excellence as a wicket-keeper should see him get a handsome contract at the IPL 2023 auction.
