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The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction saw records being shattered as overseas players attracted massive bids on December 23 in Kochi.
Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, and Cameron Green were among the most expensive picks at the auction, with Nicholas Pooran and Harry Brook fetching sizeable sums as well. At the other end of the spectrum were a few high-profile names who were snapped up for meager amounts.
While these names might seem like smart acquisitions owing to their cheap price tags, they might not fit their respective teams' needs in the long run. Here are three budget picks who the franchises could've avoided at the IPL 2023 auction.
#3 Joe Root
Joe Root made his interest in being picked up at the IPL 2023 auction very clear, and it seemed like he wouldn't find any takers for most of the event. But the Rajasthan Royals (RR) eventually raised their paddle for him towards the end, handing him an IPL contract for the first time at his base price of ₹1 crore.
Will Root fit in at RR? He's obviously not going to be part of the playing XI at the start of the season, and RR don't have the batting depth to pack their top order with power-hitters around the Englishman.
With names like Paul Stirling and Dawid Malan going unsold, it was rather peculiar to see Root find a franchise. While he could contribute to any T20 team if used in the right way, the 31-year-old might not be a major value addition despite his base-price acquisition.
#2 Ajinkya Rahane
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) sprung a massive surprise at the start of the IPL 2023 auction. Immediately after their pursuit of Mayank Agarwal failed, the Men in Yellow raised their paddle for Ajinkya Rahane at his base price of ₹50 lakh.
The Super Kings once had Cheteshwar Pujara on their books, so buying Rahane wasn't exactly out of character. But it was still a huge shock. The batter hasn't played more than 10 matches in each of the last three IPL seasons, with both his average and his strike rate making for miserable reading. He has struck at over 120 only once in the last five IPL campaigns, averaging more than 20 just twice.
Rahane won't even add anything to CSK at home since his spin game isn't great either. Why did the four-time champions feel like he would be a useful pickup?
#1 Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson is an Orange Cap winner in the IPL, so he clearly knows how to make a splash in the league. However, the game has evolved drastically and the Kiwi batter's style of play hasn't helped his teams of late.
Williamson averaged only 19.64 at a strike rate of 93.51 over the course of 13 matches in IPL 2022. While his averages were above 40 in 2020 and 2021, he struck at only 113.19 in the latter campaign.
The Gujarat Titans (GT), who grabbed hold of Williamson for his base price of ₹2 crore, didn't need another sedate top-order batter. They would've been well served to find an explosive dasher at the top to accompany the likes of Shubman Gill, Wriddiman Saha, and Sai Sudharsan.
While Williamson is a world-class batter in the longer formats, he could've been avoided in the IPL 2023 auction.
