IPL Auction 2023: 5 Best Buys Of The Mini Auction

IPL Auction 2023: 5 Best Buys Of The Mini Auction. The IPL 2023 auction was held in Kochi on December 23. The bidding frenzy ended after a hot and happening day with the 10 franchises buying a total of 80 players spending a total of 164.5 crores. Among the 80 players, 29 were overseas players with Sam Curran becoming the most expensive player in IPL history after Punjab Kings shelled out 18.50 crores for the England all-rounder.

Ben Stokes reunited with MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings after the franchise bagged him for 16.25 crores. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was bagged by Mumbai Indians for a whopping 17.50 crores for the Australian all-rounder. This will be his very first season at the IPL and he will play for a team that has won the championship five times already.

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There was a fierce bidding war between franchises for a couple of players. After going unsold in the first round, the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Joe Root, and Rilee Rossouw found bidders.

Shakib was roped in by KKR, Root went to Rajasthan Royals and the South African was bagged by Delhi Capitals for 4.60 crores. Sikandar Raza (50 lakhs PBKS), Heinrich Klaasen (5.35 Cr SRH), Jhye Richardson (MI 1.6 Cr), and Kyle Jamieson (1 Cr CSK) were some of the other important buys for overseas players.

Among the Indian players, Mayank Agarwal was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad at 8.25 crores. Gujarat Titans shelled out 6 crores to rope in Shivam Mavi after an intense bidding war with KKR. Jayde Unadkat making comeback for India in Test cricket went for 50 lakhs to LSG. This was the 11th time he was sold across all auctions.

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In this article, we will look at the 5 best buys in the IPL 2023 auction. There were some surprising buys and some interesting ones as well.

IPL Auction 2023: 5 Best Buys Of The Mini Auction

Sam Curran – (18.50 Crores PBKS)

Punjab Kings made the highest-ever deal in the IPL signing Sam Curran for a whopping 18.50 crores. The England all-rounder was the Man of the Tournament in the recently concluded T20 World Cup which was won by England.

Hence it was obvious that franchises would be hungry to buy Curran at any price. Finally, it was Punjab who was successful in getting him after an intense bidding war with CSK, Curran’s previous franchise.

Curran became the highest overseas player in the IPL surpassing Rajasthan’s bid for Chris Morris in the IPL 2021 auction. Curran started his IPL career with Punjab in IPL 2019 before the franchise released him. He then played IPL 2020 and 2021 with CSK playing some of his best cricket.

His recent exploits in the T20 World Cup made the franchises take notice of him. The southpaw finished the tournament with 13 wickets at an economy of 6.52 from six games. He can be Punjab’s death overs specialist and also can use the long handle lower down the order.

Also Read: IPL Auction Live Updates 2023: Players Bought By CSK, RCB, SRH, KKR, MI, GT, LSG, PBKS, RR, DC, Players List, Remaining Purse Value

Ben Stokes (16.25 Crores CSK)

Chennai Super Kings shelled out 16.25 crores for Ben Stokes, another England all-rounder. He played a key role for England in their T20 World Cup triumph. Stokes fits the bill for the perfect all-rounder’s slot in the playing XI. He can bowl across phases of the game and also bat at any position in the batting order.

After playing for Rising Pune Super Giants alongside MS Dhoni, the England all-rounder has reunited with him once again. CSK looked determined to bag Stokes keeping the future in mind. The England Test skipper has two hundreds in the IPL and has played several impactful innings.

This was the third time he was sold at over 10 crores in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals paying 12.5 crores in IPL 2018 and RPSG paying 14.5 crores in IPL 2017. The franchise is possibly looking at him as a potential captaincy candidate in the future.

Cameron Green (17.5 Crores MI)

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was roped in by Mumbai Indians for a whopping 17.50 crores. He rose to prominence as a cricket earlier this year when Australia toured India. He scored two fifties in three T20Is while opening the batting and played with a particularly attacking approach.

Those two knocks made him one of the signings to watch out for in the auction and Mumbai were finally able to bag him. Besides his batting prowess, Green is good with the ball as well. He can bowl hard lengths and break partnerships. He will easily fit into any role given to him and is possibly a replacement for Kieron Pollard.

Mayank Agarwal (8.25 Crores SRH)

Mayank Agarwal was sold for 8.25 crores to Sunrisers Hyderabad. The franchise had over 40 crores when the auction started and they were aiming to rebuild their squad. The franchises made some other important buys as well but Mayank Agarwal was one of their crucial buys in the auction.

The franchise was looking for a skipper after they released Kane Williamson and Mayank is possibly a candidate for the same. His previous experience of leading Punjab Kings will come in handy. He can open the batting and can also play in the middle order. The right-hander can play with attacking intent and can also anchor the innings and thus fits into multiple roles for the franchise.

Jason Holder (5.75 Crores RR)

All-rounders were in high demand in the IPL 2023 auction. Jason Holder another reputed all-rounder was sold to Rajasthan Royals at 5.75 crores. The former West Indian skipper played for KKR, CSK, and SRH previously in the IPL and Rajasthan was his fourth franchise. His best in the IPL came in IPL 2021 when he took 16 wickets with the ball and scored an unbeaten 47 to almost help SRH win the game.

Now again, he has found a new franchise that had a settled core before they came into the auction. Holder with his wealth of international experience is certainly a good buy for the franchise who invested heavily in all-rounders in previous auctions. He can have an impact with both bat and ball and can bowl across the different phases of the game.

Also Read: IPL Auction 2023- PBKS Players List, Team, PBKS Players, Full Squad After Auction

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