IPL 2023 auction: 5 players with base price of 1 crore who might go unsold

The list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Auction was announced on 13th December with a total of 405 cricketers set to go under the hammer in Kochi on Friday, December 23rd, 2022.

There are a maximum of 87 slots available with up to 30 being for overseas players in the 10 franchises. Out of the 405, 273 are Indians and 132 are overseas players, of which four are from associate nations. There are a total of 119 capped players and 282 uncapped ones.

The players have been registered at base prices of different categories, such as ₹2 crore, ₹1.5 crore, ₹1 crore, and so on. The IPL auction usually comes with its own unique buzz and surprises, where some of the most famous players also often go unsold.

Known as Mr IPL, Suresh Raina went unsold at the last auction. Much of a surprise as it was, the competition in the cash-rich league is cut-throat, with a number of players missing out every year.

On that note, let's take a look at 5 players with a base price of ₹1 crore, who might go unsold at the IPL 2023 Auction.

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#1 Joe Root

Joe Root is one of the 27 English players who have registered for the IPL 2023 Auction. After passing the Test captaincy to Ben Stokes, the 27-year-old has decided to register for the IPL for only the second time in his career. He has never played in the cash-rich league before, but he did register himself back in 2018, and went unsold.

Root will be hoping for a different outcome this time around, wanting to get a taste of the best franchise league in the world. However, franchises might be cautious about signing him up.

The last time he played a T20I was back in 2019. Root has had a moderate T20I career, scoring 893 runs with a strike rate of 126.31 in 32 matches. With teams hesitant to buy players who could play the role of an anchor (like Steve Smith), teams might not be lining up for one of the members of the 'fab four'.

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#2 Moises Henriques

Moises Henriques has some significant IPL experience under his sleeve. Having played 62 matches, he has scored 1000 runs and has also taken 42 wickets. He has also played for a number of franchises, including the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kings XI Punjab.

However, the 35-year-old went unsold in the IPL auction last year. His last appearance came in the 2021 season, where he played only five matches, scoring 31 runs and taking four wickets. Having gone unsold last time out, there's little to justify him being picked by any franchise this time around.

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#3 Rahkeem Cornwall

West Indian players have usually had a great association with the IPL, ever since its nascent stages. The likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Kieron Pollard have graced the league and have set the stage on fire more often than not. However, it's not quite the same anymore. This is partly down to the golden generation of West Indies T20 cricket nearing its end.

Rahkeem Cornwall aka Jimbo, broke into the West Indies Test side and made his mark with impressive performances with bat and ball. He never got a run in the white-ball side but did churn out a few notable performances in the T20 leagues around the world.

He scored 242 runs in the CPL last season, averaging 26.89 at a strike rate of 142.35. He is also the only batter to score 200 runs in a T20 innings. There's no doubt that the big man certainly packs a punch, but his fitness will, unfortunately, be a factor, along with his inexperience at the highest level. Hence, teams might not be targeting the Antiguan all-rounder.

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#4 Shai Hope

Shai Hope is one of the best and most consistent West Indian openers in the 50-over format. However, he hasn't had the same impact in the shortest format. He has scored only 304 runs in 19 T20I matches, averaging 17.88 at a strike rate of 121.12.

Again, most top-order spots to anchor the innings are usually held by the experienced Indian batters in the IPL. With it being difficult to slot him into the middle order, Hope is another elegant stroke-maker in the anchor mould. That, unfortunately, might not be enough for him to make the cut.

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#5 Mohammad Nabi

The former Afghanistan captain stepped down from his position after his side went through a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. At 37, Mohammad Nabi is one of the oldest players to register for the IPL Auction. However, he might not be at the top of the list of many franchises.

Nabi was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the mega auction but did not play a single game before eventually being released. In 17 matches, he has scored 180 runs and also taken 13 wickets.

He also has a fair bit of experience, playing with the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a couple of years. With age not on his side, along with a lean run of form, franchises might be looking at him as a coaching option rather than a player.