For the first time since the 2018 mega-auction, England star batter Joe Root has decided to put his name in the IPL auction for the upcoming IPL 2023 mini-auction, which will take place on December 23 in Kochi.
Root has never featured in the IPL and had gone unsold in the 2018 mega-auction. After that due to being England’s Test captain and an ODI player, he had opted out of the subsequent auction to manage his workload and focus on his international career.
He was once a crucial part of the England T20I side and led the batting department in their run to the final in the 2016 T20 World Cup. However, Root was shifted outside of England’s T20I setup after 2019; he was being rested from the shortest format and lost his place to Dawid Malan.
In 30 T20I innings, Root averages 35 at a strike rate of 126 with 5 fifties and has barely played the shortest format outside England. Root is an excellent player of spin, a trait which would be useful in Indian conditions, and can also bowl handy part-time off-spin.
Here are three franchises that might target Joe Root in the IPL 2023 mini-auction:
Chennai Super Kings
Middle-order batter Robin Uthappa has retired from the IPL; all-rounder Moeen Ali hasn’t been in the best of the nicks with the bat, and only bowls when there is a match-up of a left-hander available’; MS Dhoni is unlikely to play and captain in the IPL after 2023; CSK are coming back to the spin-friendly Chepauk surface next season.
All these factors might push the CSK management to think hard and then bid for Joe Root in the auction.
Root’s game is against spin is brilliant – in all T20s, he averages 34 while facing spinners at a strike rate of around 120; which means he doesn’t loses his wicket to spinners often, which could be crucial on the Chennai pitches that will require a batter to anchor. And Root can also be used as a proper off-spin option to target left-handers, especially in the powerplay – not to forget, in the 2016 T20 WC final, he dismissed both the West Indies openers, Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles.
Plus, he is a proven leader with England and commands great respect from his teammates.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH will be on the hunt for a captain after releasing Kane Williamson who they had previously retained for 14 crore; it is possible that SRH go hard for Williamson again and look to get him back at a cheaper price but other franchises will be smart to raise the bid.
If not Williamson, they can get a similar character as their new captain and a brilliant number 3 anchor role batter in Joe Root.
Gujarat Titans
While the Titans had a bumper season last year, they still struggled to have a consistent man in the middle order between Pandya and Miller. Titans chopped, changed, and rotated the likes of Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Sai Sudharsan, and Abhinav Manohar in the middle order; even opener Wriddhiman Saha too blew hot and cold and lacked consistency. An experienced batsman like Joe Root would be a perfect fit.
The Titans will play half their league matches on the spicy, pace-assisting pitches in Ahmedabad. And Root’s prowess against pacers is well-known from his international records; even in the T20s he’s played, Root averages 35 and strikes at 135 to pacers.
