3 teams that would have loved to sign Babar Azam in IPL 2023 auction

Pakistan players have not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since the inaugural edition in 2008. But if they were allowed to, skipper Babar Azam could have been among the names some franchises would have been keen to target at the upcoming mini-auction on Friday, December 23, in Kochi.

Babar is currently in the news for the wrong reasons as Pakistan were hammered 0-3 by England in a three-match Test series at home. This was the first-ever instance of Pakistan being whitewashed in a Test rubber in home conditions. The right-handed batter was the leading run-scorer for his team with 348 runs at an average of 58. However, he failed to inspire his team as a leader.

Despite a mixed year in T20Is, Babar managed to register decent numbers in the format - 735 runs in 26 matches at an average of 31.95 and a strike rate of 123.32 with one hundred and five fifties to his name.

While Babar may not be part of the auction, we look at three franchises that might have targeted him had he been available.

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#1 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders had plenty of opening woes in 2022. Pic: BCCI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) struggled with their opening combination in IPL 2022. It was one of the reasons their campaign went completely off-track. They began with Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer, then tried Aaron Finch, Sunil Narine, Sam Billings, and Baba Indrajith.

In their last league game, they ended up opening with Abhijeet Tomar and Venkatesh Iyer. Nothing worked and the constant chopping and changing meant KKR never settled into any batting rhythm.

Kolkata released both Finch and Rahane ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. Venkatesh has been retained, but there is no clarity as to whether he will bat at the top of the order or in the middle.

In effect, KKR need to pick a minimum of two opening options at the IPL mini-auction. Having Babar in their squad could have relieved some of their headaches as he is a reasonably dependable batter in the T20 format.

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#2 SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Sunrisers Hyderabad also struggled in the opening department. Pic: BCCI

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opened the batting with skipper Kane Williamson and young Abhishek Sharma for most of their IPL 2022 campaign. Sharma impressed with his clean-hitting, smashing 426 runs in 14 matches at an average of 30.43 and a strike rate of 133.12.

Williamson, on the other hand, had a forgettable edition. He scored 216 runs in 13 matches at an average of 19.63 and an unacceptable strike rate of 93.50. It was least surprising that SRH confirmed the release of their IPL 2022 captain while announcing their retention list in November. The franchise previously parted ways with another captain-opener, David Warner, after IPL 2021 in a rather unceremonious fashion.

While Sharma has been retained for the upcoming season, SRH need to look for a strong opening partner for him at the IPL 2023 mini-auction. Among the retained players, Rahul Tripathi is the only one who can be moved up if needed. However, he did exceptionally well at No. 3 in the 2022 edition and there is no reason for the franchise to alter his position.

Pakistan skipper Babar could have been a good addition to the team. He could have complemented Sharma’s style of play. His inclusion would also have seen SRH maintain their left-right opening combination.

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#3 Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings are seeking a replacement for Mayank Agarwal. Pic: BCCI

Punjab Kings began IPL 2022 with Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan as their opening combination. On paper, they looked like a strong batting pair, but Agarwal struggled after being given the additional responsibility of leadership. After a number of failures, he pushed himself into the middle order, allowing Jonny Bairstow to open.

Punjab have released Agarwal after a poor IPL 2022 campaign during which he scored just one half-century, while both Dhawan and Bairstow have been retained. Dhawan has also been elevated to captain for the 2023 season and is expected to open the innings with Bairstow.

At the same time, PBKS have also used Bairstow as a hitter in the middle order to push the scoring. If they have similar plans for the 2023 edition, the franchise will need to look for another batter who can open the innings.

Babar would have fitted in nicely here, giving Punjab the flexibility to be versatile with their batting order.

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