IPL Auction 2023 | Kane Williamson to Ben Stokes, top players who may fetch huge bids
The IPL 2023 auction is scheduled to take place on December 23 in Kochi. A total of 405 cricketers are set to go under the hammer. The highest reserve price is Rs 2 crore, with 19 overseas players choosing to be slotted in the top bracket. Here's a list of players, including both domestic and overseas, who are currently released and can fetch huge bids at the auction.
Mayank Agarwal | The Punjab Kings (PBKS) released their former captain Mayank Agarwal ahead of 2023 IPL auction. Agarwal was amongst the two players retained (for Rs 14 crore) by the PBKS ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. He was bought by the franchise in 2018 IPL auction, and remained the most-watched out Indian batter in their line-up since then. The right-handed top-order striker had made his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2011. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
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Ben Stokes | England's left-handed middle-order batter Ben Stokes last played in the IPL 2021, when he left midway due to injury and pulled out from the 2022 edition as well. The New Zealand-born cricketer, Stokes, is one of the world's finest all-rounders and has remained at the forefront of some of England's recent triumphs. Stokes made his IPL debut in 2017 edition with Rising Pune Supergiants and was named as 'most valuable player' for the season. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
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Sam Curran | All-rounder English player Sam Curran made his IPL debut in 2019 with Punjab Kings, becoming the third-highest bid in the auction. He was the 'player of the tournament' in the T20 World Cup 2022. He was released by the Punjab Kings ahead of 2020 IPL auction and was bought by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that year for Rs 5.5 crore. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
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Kane Williamson | The New Zealand national cricket team captain, Kane Williamson, made his IPL debut in 2015, when he signed with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He captained the team in the 2018 edition in the absence of David Warner and led them to the first runner-up spot. He was also the season's leading scorer, with 735 runs. He was retained by the franchise for the 2022 edition as the captain but failed to perform and was released following their eighth place in the tournament. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
Rilee Rossouw | The South African all-rounder, who went unsold in the IPL auction held earlier this year, has played for the RCB in 2011, 2014 and 2015 editions. In his stint with the Bangalore team, he could score only score 53 runs in five matches. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
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Nicholas Pooran | The West Indies cricketer was bought by the Mumbai Indian team for 2017 Indian Premier League but didn't play any match in the whole season. Pooran went unsold in the 2018 IPL auction. In 2019, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab, now known as Punjab Kings. He had an excellent IPL 2020 season as he scored a total of 353 runs in the 14 matches, and was the fourth highest six hitter. However, he failed to score much in IPL 2021 and was released by the franchise. In the 2022 auction, Pooran was bought by SRH for Rs 10.75 crores. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
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Jason Holder | The Caribbean all-rounder represented the CSK in 2013, the SRH in 2015, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2016 and was bought back by SRH in 2020. He was a replacement player for all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and made his presence felt, featuring in 7 games and picking 14 wickets that included a match-winning 3-wicket haul against RCB. In the 2022 IPL auction, Holder was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 8.75 crores. (Image: Twitter @IPL)
