IPL 2023 Auction: 3 Players Released By Punjab Kings (PBKS) Who Can Be Bought For More Than 8 Crores

Punjab Kings finished the previous IPL season in the sixth position with just seven victories out of 14 games, and they have yet to be added to the list of IPL winners. The new captain of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) club for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season is veteran Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan. 

Punjab Kings spent a lot of money at the IPL 2022 mega auction, but they were unable to make it to the playoffs. Big stars like Mayank Agarwal have been released as a result of the franchise’s decision to make positive changes. 

However, several of its top players, who stand a good chance of receiving high bids during the IPL 2023 auction, have been released. Learn about the 3 Punjab Kings (PBKS) players that were released and could bring in bids of more than 8 Cr at the IPL 2023 auction. 

IPL 2023 Auction: 3 Players Released By Punjab Kings (PBKS) Who Can Be Bought For More Than 8 Crores

Sandeep Sharma

Right-handed medium pacer from Punjab, Sandeep Sharma, made his first-class debut in 2011. He joined the Kings XI Punjab, now known as the Punjab Kings, before the 2013 IPL. He was repurchased by the franchise in the IPL 2014 Auction. 

His talent to swing the ball has garnered him high praise from experts, and he has been crucial for Punjab, his state team. Later, he switched teams to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but in IPL 2022, he was forced to return to Punjab Kings, the team where his IPL career all started. Now, he has been discharged once more. 

He has 114 wickets in 104 IPL games, with an average of 26.33 and a 7.77 economy. IPL teams may be keeping an eye on him during the IPL auction. 

Odean Smith

Punjab Kings paid an astounding INR 6 crore at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction to get Odean Smith’s services. Odean Smith gave a commendable performance in his debut and helped PBKS overcome RCB, but the Caribbean all-rounder failed to maintain consistency. 

He scored 51 runs at an average of 17 in his six IPL 2022 contests. He bowled 15 overs, allowing 178 runs and picking up six wickets at an average of 29.67. Also impressive was his IPL 2022 economy rate of 11.87. After Punjab Kings released the all-rounder, he may be the target of many clubs in the IPL in 2023. 

Mayank Agarwal

Punjab Kings chose Mayank Agarwal as their captain prior to the start of IPL 2022 after KL Rahul left the team for Lucknow Super Giants before the release ahead of IPL 2023. Despite the change in captaincy, Punjab’s fortunes stayed the same as they continued to struggle. With seven victories and an equal number of losses, the Punjab-based team finished sixth overall and missed the playoffs. 

The strain of being the team’s captain also hurt Mayank Agarwal’s hitting. Despite reaching more than 400 runs in each of the two seasons before, the right-handed batsman only managed to score 196 runs in IPL 2022. (424 runs in IPL 2020 and 441 runs in IPL 2021). His hit rate was 122.5 percent. He is an experienced player who can fetch a big amount of money during the IPL 2023 auction. 

Punjab Kings (PBKS) Released Players List:

Mayank Agarwal, Odean Smith, Vaibhav Arora, Benny Howell, Ishan Porel, Ansh Patel, Prerak Mankad, Sandeep Sharma, Writtick Chatterjee 

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