It seems like Cameron Green really likes to bat against the Indian bowlers, especially in India: he blasted two sizzling half-centuries as a T20I opener last year, which got him into Australia’s T20 World Cup squad; and now the lanky all-rounder has hit his maiden Test century, in the Ahmedabad Test.
He had made his Test debut against India in the home series in 2020/21 and hit his maiden Test fifty – an entertaining knock of 84 runs in Sydney against India.
Now, as has been the tradition over the past decade, and something which the West Indian players have utilized well, when you do well against India, your price in the IPL auction shoots up.
And if you are a seam-bowling all-rounder, and belong to either Australia or England, IPL franchises go gaga over you in the IPL auction.
This is what happened when Cameron Green, in his first-ever IPL auction, got a bumper bid of INR 17.5 crore from Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023 auction, becoming MI’s most expensive player ever and the second-most expensive player in the IPL history, behind another seam-bowling all-rounder, Sam Curran (18.5 crore by PBKS).
Here are 3 reasons why Cameron Green could be the MVP in IPL 2023:
Tall Seam-bowling all-rounder: can contribute in both departments
In 2017, Ben Stokes, England’s seam-bowling all-rounder made his IPL debut for RPSG. Stokes was so spectacular with both bat and ball, helping RPSG reach the final, that he bagged the Man of the Tournament award in his debut IPL season. MI had made big bids for Stokes then but couldn’t acquire him, because they knew the value of a power-hitter who can bowl fast.
That is what MI are paying the big bucks to Cameron Green for: a quality seam-bowling all-rounder that they so duly lacked last season after releasing Hardik Pandya. In IPL 2022, MI were left perhaps a bit disappointed by the likes of Daniel Sams and Ramandeep Singh as they failed to replicate what Hardik Pandya used to do for them, plus Kieron Pollard was out of touch too.
Even though Cameron Green doesn’t have vast T20 experience – he’s only played 21 T20 matches, including only 8 T20Is – being a seam-bowling all-rounder, the 23-year-old gets the opportunity to make contributions with both bat and ball.
Belligerent as an opener
Barely anybody would have considered Green to make it into Australia’s T20I XI just when he was kick-starting his Test career before he played two spectacular innings as an opener against India when David Warner was unavailable.
In only his 2nd T20I innings, Cameron Green hammered 61 off 30 in Mohali and followed it up with 52 off 21 a match later in Hyderabad. On back of these performances and his ability to hit the deck hard with the ball, Green stormed into Australia’s T20 WC squad.
By then, MI seemed to have made their minds up about going big for Green in the auction, which they did. MI management likes what Green has to offer as a belligerent batter and a gun medium pacer, who recently got a five-wicket haul on the docile Melbourne pitch against South Africa.
MI would feel Green’s faculties will be very useful when they return to play at the Wankhede this year: Mumbai Indians will be back to playing their 7 home matches at the Wankhede, which is a batting beauty but also assists pacers. Cameron Green fits the bill.
Form and confidence
Form and confidenceVery few SENA players have come to India and scored a Test century in the past 6-7 years. And to do it in less than 150 balls as Cameron Green did in Ahmedabad, it makes up for a special innings, one where Green dominated the proceedings and the Indian bowlers, not the other way around which has usually been the case.
Cameron Green will be coming into the IPL 2023 with great form and confidence, knowing he’s earned the respect of the MI fans – with this terrific Test hundred and those two blockbuster T20I innings in India last year.
Both his batting and bowling form will be crucial for MI, who lacked the pizzaz in their openers last season and now their pace department is struggling with the loss of Bumrah and Jhye Richardson and Jofra Archer is also coming back from a long injury layoff.
MI fans have big hopes and expectations pinned on Cameron Green. He will exceed all those expectations if he finishes IPL 2023 as the Player of the Tournament.
