'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The IPL 2023 auction took place last Friday (December 23) and 80 players received deals from 10 franchises. Wicket-keepers were in demand as the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt, KS Bharat, N Jagadeesan, Litton Das and Vishnu Vinod earned contracts at the mini-auction.
Every IPL team aims to have at least two to four wicket-keepers in their squad because they need to play one wicket-keeper in every match. IPL 2023 will be a long season, and there is a possibility of players being ruled out of the competition due to injuries or other reasons.
In that situation, teams need to sign players from the unsold category as replacements. We look at five unsold wicket-keepers from the IPL 2023 auction who could return to the league as a replacement signing.
#1 Tom Banton
It was a little surprising to see Tom Banton remain unsold at the IPL 2023 auction. The Englishman has a great record in the shorter formats and it appears the franchises ignored him because of his ₹2 crore base price.
However, teams could look to sign him if they need a replacement wicket-keeper. For the record, Banton has played 97 T20 innings, scoring 2,166 runs at a strike rate of 142.50.
#2 Tom Latham
Tom Latham has never featured in the IPL before but he has played a lot of matches against India and has done a great job for New Zealand. Latham also has decent experience playing on Indian pitches.
He has a T20 career strike rate of 133.29, which is why teams could consider signing him if they need a replacement wicket-keeper in IPL 2023.
#3 Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis has been a match-winner for Sri Lanka in T20I cricket. He has scored 1,059 runs in 49 T20Is at a strike rate of around 130. Mendis has recorded 10 half-centuries in his T20I career.
The right-handed batter recently played some big knocks for Galle Gladiators in Lanka Premier League, making him a contender to join IPL 2023 as a replacement.
#4 Mohammed Azharuddeen
The only Indian wicket-keeper to feature on the list is Mohammed Azharuddeen. The Kerala wicket-keeper batter was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021 but did not play any matches.
Azharuddeen came into the spotlight because of his 137-run knock against Mumbai in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020/21. He has a decent record in T20s, having scored 741 runs at a strike rate of 134.23. If a team needs an Indian wicket-keeper as a replacement in IPL 2023, they can target the Kerala player.
#5 Chris Benjamin
England's wicket-keeper batter Chris Benjamin is yet to play international cricket but he made it to the final list of players at the IPL 2023 auction. Benjamin has been a part of the Men's Hundred and Abu Dhabi T10. He will soon be in action in UAE's International League T20.
Benjamin has scored 603 runs in 29 innings at a strike rate of 146.35. If he continues his impressive run of form, he could bag an IPL deal as a replacement signing soon.
