With less than 24 hours to go for the TATA IPL 2023 Player Auction, JioCinema’s expert panel put together their predictions in the Mastercard Match Centre Live Auction War Room. The action before the auction saw Cameron Green as the most expensive player picked up for INR 20Cr by Sunrisers Hyderabad, represented by Scott Styris.
“He may not play the full tournament, but I think he could be the No. 1 pick for SRH, even over (Ben) Stokes,” said Styris. Gayle, representing Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, was shocked. “Surprise bid, unbelievable. No way this is going to happen. One has to factor in that Green has to play in Indian conditions,” Gayle said of Green’s top bid by SRH, who have a purse of INR 42.5Cr going into the auction on Saturday.
England all-rounder and T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament Sam Curran was the second most expensive player as Chennai Super Kings, represented by Suresh Raina, bought him for INR 19.5Cr, breaking their bank, which had INR 20.45Cr.
“Curran can be a future leader in CSK,” pointed Raina after outbidding Delhi Capitals to bring home the English all-rounder. Anil Kumble, representing Mumbai Indians, also felt his team could look at Curran. “He brings in that option of batting at 6 or 7 for MI,” said Kumble.
As expected, Ben Stokes garnered a lot of interest from multiple franchises. As many as five of them fiercely bid for the English test captain. Eventually, Eoin Morgan, representing Punjab Kings, snapped Stokes for a price tag of 19Cr.
“He’s worth every penny. He not only offers leadership but brings a huge amount of experience under pressure, and PBKS needs that for their campaign,” Morgan said. “If he gets you to the business end of the tournament and leaves, it could build confidence.” Raina and Kumble felt Stokes could fit into the plans of CSK and MI too.
But Gayle concluded that the team with the biggest purse would eventually get Stokes. “It will be Mumbai or Punjab for the big money they have,” said the West Indies legend. Punjab has INR 32.20Cr, and MI have INR 20.55Cr.
Anil Kumble’s top picks for MI were two overseas all-rounders in, Odean Smith and Sikander Raza. Smith was snapped for INR 8.5Cr, while the Zimbabwe captain raked in INR 7Cr. “Odean is exceptionally talented. He can smash the ball, and he is sharp and quick,” Kumble said.
Gayle felt Raza could be a great option for RCB to replace Glenn Maxwell. “We need a good batter and bowler. So he would fit in perfectly. He is in good form,” said Gayle.
Among Indian players, Mayank Agarwal got the highest bid at INR 6.5Cr from SRH, followed by Lucknow Super Giants’ bid for fast bowler Shivam Mavi at INR 5.5Cr. Styris though was not sure even after snapping the former Punjab Kings captain. “Honestly, he wasn’t in my plans, but we need an opening batsman. At that price, he is a steal, a bargain,” Styris said.
“Mohsin is not fully fit, I think Shivam is the best bet as a backup and can bat at 8,” said Singh, representing Lucknow Super Giants. “Mumbai would also be keen for Mavi. He could fill in as the third seamer for them,” said Kumble.
Amit Mishra, the oldest player in the IPL auction, was also snapped by MI for INR 4.25Cr. “He can be the impact player. He is a quality spinner, for his experience and is a wicket-taker. But with 4.25, the price is on the higher side,” admitted Kumble.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson remained unsold, but Kumble felt that would not be the case on the auction day. Defending champions Gujarat Titans, represented by Murali Karthik, picked Shakib Al Hasan and Rilee Rossouw.
Catch all the TATA IPL 2023 Player Auction on Dec. 23 live at 1:00 PM on JioCinema
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