The Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction is just around the corner and is expected to take place in Kochi on December 23rd. Speculations are already rife on what players the franchises will go for. Ahead of the much-awaited mini-auctions, Ravi Ashwin has made a big prediction for which team will go for star all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Stokes, who was last bought by the Rajasthan Royals for 12.5 crores in 2018, has not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the last two years. He withdrew his name from the 2021 season of the IPL because of a knee injury and did not register for the 2022 tournament. He has registered for the IPL 2023 mini-auction, with a base price of Rs 2 crore.
India’s veteran bowler Ravichandran Ashwin feels that England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes would be one of the most sought players and and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) could be the franchise that wants him the most. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said:
“I feel as a second keeper, an explosive left-hander, I know he didn’t play well last year but I feel he will go for a good price, Nicholas Pooran. His resale value will be really high.”
It has to be noted that Ben Stokes had been criticized for his low strike rate in the T20I format off-lately, including T20 World Cup 2022, however, Stokes was the one who took his side to the victory lines in the final clash against Pakistan.
The England cricket team’s batting order collapsed while chasing a target of 138 runs, however, Stokes stood strong for his side and stole the show. He played a match-winning knock of 52 runs off 49 balls, helping England to lift their 2nd World Cup trophy.
Apart from this, Ravi Ashwin also feels that MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might bid for a second wicket-keeping option in the West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran. As per the veteran bowler, CSK can only go for Nicholas if they fail to get the services of any of the all-rounders from Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, or Cameron Green. He said:
“Even CSK might also go for him because CSK will go for Sam Curran from the Marquee list. They won’t get him. They will go all-out on Ben Stokes as well. They won’t get him as well. They will also go for Cameron Green,”
He added: “Even CSK might also go for him because CSK will go for Sam Curran from the Marquee list. They won’t get him. They will go all-out on Ben Stokes as well. They won’t get him as well. They will also go for Cameron Green,”
