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Indian Premier League (IPL) organizers confirmed a few days back that a total of 991 players have registered for the 2023 player auction, which will be held in Kochi, Kerala on December 23. Out of the 991 players, 714 are Indians, while 277 are overseas cricketers. The list includes 185 capped, 786 uncapped, and 20 players from associate nations.
If we look at the country-wise breakdown of overseas players, Australia (57) has the highest representation, followed by South Africa (52), West Indies (33), England (31), and New Zealand (27).
As many as 21 players have listed their names in the highest price bracket of ₹2 crore. The list includes Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, and Kane Williamson. Intriguingly, not a single Indian features in ₹2 crore bracket.
Ten players have also registered their names in the ₹1.5 crore band. We predict three players from this bracket who might go unsold at the IPL 2023 auction.
#1 Sean Abbott
Australian pacer Sean Abbott has been on the scene for quite a few years now. However, he has not been able to establish himself in the national white-ball squads.
Having made his debut for Australia back in 2014, he has only represented the country in eight ODIs and nine T20Is, claiming nine and five wickets, respectively.
There is nothing much to write home about his IPL career as well. He has only played three matches in the T20 league so far - two in 2015 and one in 2022. Abbott has only one wicket to show for his efforts at an average of 104 and an economy rate of 11.56.
The 30-year-old does have an impressive record in T20 cricket. In 116 matches, he has picked up 142 wickets at an average of 21.96 and an economy rate of 8.61.
However, considering that there are only limited slots available to fill, it is unlikely that IPL franchises will look to acquire the services of Abbott.
#2 Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan has been a key component of England’s T20I squad ever since making his debut in 2017. In 55 matches, he has scored 1748 runs at an average of 38.84 and a strike rate of 135.71. These are quite impressive numbers.
In fact, he is a highly experienced T20 cricketer. In his overall career in the format, he has played 290 matches, having amassed 7895 runs at a strike rate of just under 130. Malan’s batting, however, lacks that flamboyance, which is one of the reasons why he has not attracted too many IPL franchises.
The 35-year-old withdrew from the UAE leg of IPL 2021 when he was part of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise and was replaced by Aiden Markram. He played only one match during the edition in which he scored 26 runs at a run-a-ball.
Malan went unsold at the IPL 2022 auction and, given the number of options available, he is unlikely to find too many takers this year as well.
#3 Jason Roy
England opener Jason Roy has been struggling for form for a while now. He was dropped from the T20 World Cup 2022 squad following a lean spell with the willow in the format.
Roy had a chance to make an impact in the three-match ODI series against Australia. However, he continued his poor run, registering scores of six, 0, and 33.
Roy did score a half-century in the Abu Dhabi T10, but he did not make much of an impression in the other games of the tournament. His scores read 18, five, four, and 57*. Lately, the 32-year-old has only looked like a shadow of the batter who dominated attacks in white-ball cricket.
There is one more reason franchises might be apprehensive about picking the England dasher at the IPL 2023 mini-auction. The right-handed batter has pulled out of two previous editions of the T20 league.
In 2020, Delhi Capitals (DC) picked him up for his then base price of ₹1.5 crores, but he opted out, citing personal reasons.
In 2022, he again pulled out after being picked up by the Gujarat Titans (GT), stating that he wanted to spend time with his family.
Also Read: 3 great records Ben Stokes can achieve as England’s Test captain
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