3 teams that should look to sign Adil Rashid at IPL 2023 Auction

He may have only picked up four wickets but Adil Rashid was certainly one of the best spinners at the recently concluded 2022 T20 World Cup.

He remained wicketless in the first three matches but when it came to back-to-back knock-out matches against Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan, he recorded figures of 1/16, 1/20, and 2/22, respectively. His economy rate got progressively better and ended at 6.12 - the best in the tournament for leg-spinners.

The Indians found it difficult to deal with him in Adelaide - the only ground whose short square boundaries and long straights resembled Indian conditions. The 34-year-old with his mean googly looked too good to have played just one IPL match.

Quality leg-spinners have been hard to find in the last couple of years in the IPL, though demand has increased with the addition of 10 teams. Rashid will likely find a team in the IPL 2023 auction and might be inexpensive for his value as well. Below, we discuss three that should keep him high on their target list:

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#1 Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians' (MI) lack of spin-bowling options stung them in 2022. Once a prodigy, Mayank Markande didn't get many chances, while Murugan Ashwin, who was their third-highest wicket-taker, struggled to carry the bowling line-up. Both have now been released and only young spinners Kumar Kartikeya and Hrithik Shokeen have been retained.

If Jofra Archer is fit, Mumbai will likely bring another pace-bowling all-rounder to the team and create a pace trio with Jasprit Bumrah as the leader. This engine will need an experienced, frugal spinner to bowl in the powerplay or in the middle overs and hold the other end, a role not too dissimilar to what Rashid does for England.

Rashid's best moment in the World Cup came when he bowled a wicket-maiden in the 12th over of the final against Pakistan. Not only Mumbai Indians but no IPL team has seen such skill in many years and would love to have a piece of it.

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#2 SunRisers Hyderabad

Beset by injuries, an unbalanced team, and some poor decision-making, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)'s spinners picked up the least wickets (15) in IPL 2022. After releasing Shreyas Gopal and Jagadeesha Suchith, their squad now has only Washington Sundar as a frontline spinner, who has also been injury-prone in recent months.

With Aiden Markram and Glenn Phillips providing firepower to the batting line-up after letting go of Kane Williamson, SRH could reach the next level if they sign an Indian batter-captain, an overseas pace-bowling all-rounder, and Rashid.

The latter's underrated batting ability - 10 first-class centuries and a best score of 180 - makes him a brilliant value pick for the team with the biggest budget.

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#3 Gujarat Titans

It would be a massive surprise if Rashid fails to find a team in the IPL 2023 auction, if not as a sure starter but as a crucial backup. Only three other teams bank on their overseas spinners to get them breakthroughs - Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - while also needing a backup.

Only GT have the budget as well as the balance to get him. The defending IPL champions have made the smartest decisions and still have ₹19.25 crore in the bank while retaining most of their core team.

Rashid could be a brilliant backup for Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. If they add another Indian pacer to help the duo of Yash Dayal and Mohammed Shami, they can even play both leggies together.

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