The IPL 2023 auction is likely to take place in mid-December. Last time it was a mega-auction after the addition of two new teams; this time, it will be a mini-auction. There are no limits on retentions which means that the franchises will keep most of their players with themselves.
But there will be a few stalwarts who will come up in the auction for whom the franchises will release players to make space in the purse and will be ready to go big.
The all-time record for the most expensive player in the IPL auction is 16.25 crore when in 2021 Rajasthan Royals splurged this amount for Chris Morris. Will this time any team spend more than this on one of these three players?
Here are the 3 players for whom the franchises can break their bank:
Ben Stokes
England Test captain Ben Stokes made it clear that he is targeting the big bucks from T20 cricket when he decided to retire from ODIs to focus on the other two formats earlier this year.
Stokes is one of the premier all-format all-rounders in the world, but had opted out of the IPL 2022 to focus on the England Test team after becoming their new skipper. He played in only 1 match for RR in IPL 2021 and got injured and had to leave the tournament after playing only a solitary game. In 2017, playing his first IPL season, for RPSG, Stokes was the Player of the Tournament having helped Pune reach the final.
Stokes’ abilities as an all-rounder are well-known and so is his commitment toward his side in all three departments. The 2019 World Cup final hero is expected to put his name in the IPL 2023 auction, and will certainly fetch big amounts. Could he break Chris Morris’ 16.25 crore record? We will know soon.
Cameron Green
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has become the latest attraction among the IPL franchises after his exploits in the recent T20I series against India. Green, who is not even in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, got the opportunity to open in the absence of the rested David Warner and he grabbed his chances with both hands.
Green smashed 61off 30 balls in the Mohali T20I and 52 off 21 in the Hyderabad game. Ever since he made his Test debut for Australia in 2020, Green has been touted as the next big thing in world cricket.
It is not to forget that it was his pace bowling that got him early attention as a youngster. He has bowled over 3000 balls in first-class cricket and close to 100 balls in List-A cricket. Cameron Green is the complete package.
And even though 23-year-old Cameron Green is still inexperienced at the highest level, his being a youngster makes all the more reason for IPL franchises to big hard and big for him and gain his services for many years to come.
Dasun Shanaka
Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has been around for a while having made his international debut in 2015, but it is the recognition as a hard-hitting pace-bowling all-rounder and a captain he’s gained since last year that is likely to get him a handsome contract at the IPL 2023 auction.
31-year-old Shanaka has an experience of 158 T20 matches (74 T20Is) wherein he has a strike rate of 141 and 130 List-A matches (42 ODIs). In all T20s in 2022, Shanaka has smashed runs at a strike rate of 212 in the death overs. He can also give 2-3 overs regularly and is known for his leadership qualities, as showcased recently in the triumphant Asia Cup 2022 campaign.
