IPL 2023: 3 Teams Who Can Target Phil Salt In The IPL Auction

IPL 2023: 3 Teams Who Can Target Phil Salt In The IPL Auction. Phil Salt has over 3800 runs in 167 T20s, with 26 fifties to his name. Phil Salt is one of the finest young players in the Three Lions setup. Since entering domestic cricket in 2015/16, Phil Salt has been consistent in delivering goods for Sussex and also made his international debut in 2021.

Earlier this year, Phil Salt returned as the joint-highest run-scorer for England in the Netherlands ODI series with 248 runs in three innings. He continued his strong showing in the T20 Blast while scoring 390 runs in 14 innings. Further, he hit 353 runs in 10 innings and was the second-highest run-scorer in the Hundred 2022.

IPL 2023 | India tour of Bangladesh 2022 | Dream11 Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket Match Prediction Today | Cricket News | Cricket Live Score | Sri Lanka tour of India 2023 | New Zealand tour of India 2023

Phil Salt has played 13 T20Is and has amassed 245 runs averaging 22.27 with 2 fifties. His highest of 88* came in the 6th T20I against Pakistan, while he scored 57 on his T20I debut against West Indies in January 2022. He had also scored 406 runs in 11 ODIs averaging 45.11 with 1 ton (122 vs Netherlands) and 2 fifties.

With terrific white-ball proficiency, he must be on the radar among a few franchises in IPL 2023. IPL 2023 auction is set to take place on December 23 and all the 10 franchises are gearing up to grab some crucial players in their squads.

IPL 2023 Auction | IND vs BAN 2022 | India vs Bangladesh 2022 | India National Cricket Team | IND vs SL 2023 | India vs Sri Lanka 2023 | IND vs NZ 2023 | India vs New Zealand 2023

IPL 2023: 3 Teams Who Can Target Phil Salt In The IPL Auction

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings, the 4-time IPL winners finished at the penultimate position in the IPL 2022 points table with four wins in 14 league matches in 2022. The team was inconsistent with their contributions in the batting department, despite the presence of experienced batters. They released Robin Uthappa ahead of the mini-auction, who played at the opening slot and the No.3 or No.4 position.

As the squad stands before IPL 2023, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway will continue to don the role of the opener. However, management dropped Devon Conway in a few of the matches last season due to his low scores. In this regard, Phil Salt can be a backup opener for CSK, in case the Kiwi batter Devon Conway fails to produce consistent performances.

2. Gujarat Titans (GT)

Gujarat Titans were sublime with their all-round brilliance to secure a title trophy in their first attempt at IPL 2022. However, they decided to release their premier pacer Lockie Ferguson and top-order batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz by trading them to Kolkata Knight Riders before IPL 2023.

At present, the team consists of only two overseas batters in form of David Miller and Matthew Wade. Australia keeper Matthew Wade has been out of color in his recent international outings and was average for the Gujarat Titans in 2022 as well. The management would surely be looking to enhance their batting firepower in the overseas slots.

Phil Salt has been a regular wicketkeeper in the last few years for his domestic side and England as well. With his presence, the team gets an agile gloveman, a batter who has experience of churning out runs in every situation of a T20 fixture.

3. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders have been deprived of quality overseas batters after releasing too many players ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.

The inability of openers Aaron Finch and Ajinkya Rahane to provide a good start in IPL 2022, paved the way for their exit from the franchise. Further, Alex Hales, Sam Billings, and Pat Cummins opted out of the IPL 2023 contract in favor of their international career.

As a result, the team management will be focusing on the batting front. With Rahmanullah Gurbaz (traded from GT) displaying his merit in shorter formats, he is likely to be the team’s opener in 2023. Alongside him can be Phil Salt, who can play the role of an anchor or produce quickfire innings.

The team’s bowling department will be handled by Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, who will take up two overseas spots. With Pat Cummins’ exit, Tim Southee is the preferred new-ball pacer for KKR. It remains to be seen the strategy of the franchise to secure services of overseas batters.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah