As the IPL 2023 Auction is set to take place on Friday (December 23) in Kochi, a lot of questions are set to be answered.
Among the many questions, there’s one about who will get sold for the highest price.
Speaking about the West Indian contingent of players, Pollard and Bravo announced their IPL retirement after being released by MI and CSK respectively. Russell and Narine were retained by KKR. The likes of Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, and Fabian Allen were released by their respective franchises and will be up for auction. Below is the list of 20 Windies cricketers who will be up for the IPL 2023 auction.
Over the years, West Indian players have left a big impact on the IPL and on the team’s success.
IPL 2023: Predicting 5 most expensive players ahead of upcoming auction
Predicting 3 most expensive players at auction
1. Nicholas Pooran
Former skipper of the West Indies, Nicholas Pooran had a decent season for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022. In 14 matches, the 27-year-old scored 306 runs at a strike rate of 144.34 and thus, releasing him was surprising from a neutral point of view.
The stumper-batter was picked up for INR 10.75 crore and that may have played a huge role in his release ahead of the auction. The Hyderabad-based franchise wanted to rebuild a fresh squad and thus released a majority of its players but when it comes to Pooran, the team can once again bid for the cricketer.
Now, coming to his current form, he set the stage ablaze in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi T10 League. Pooran scored 345 runs in ten matches at a staggering strike rate of 234.69. Thus, a lot of franchises will eye to sign him and he is expected to be one of the most expensive players at the forthcoming auction.
2. Jason Holder
Jason Holder, the West Indian all-rounder, was a surprising addition to the Lucknow SuperGiants, a new team in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He was purchased for a cost of Rs 8.75 crore and contributed 58 runs and 14 wickets in 12 games during the season.
Playing for the Lucknow Super Giants in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League, Jason Holder picked up 14 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 9.42 and contributed 58 runs.
Now, even though he couldn’t do much with the bat, Holder remains to be a threat and can wreak havoc in the final overs of the match.
The all-rounder was sold at INR 8.75 crore and it is expected that he will once again be among the highest-paid cricketers in the next IPL. It is assumed that the LSG management released him in order to sign other all-rounders but in case they fail to get their hands on the likes of Ben Stokes, Sam Curran or Cameron Green, they might once again bid for the star from the Caribbean.
When it comes to his recent form, the 31-year-old picked up five wickets at the T20 World Cup 2022 and scored 42 runs but his performance was below par in the recently concluded Test series against Australia. Nevertheless, the teams are likely to break the bank in order to sign him based on his experience.
3. Odean Smith
Being a fast-bowling all-rounder, Odean Smith is a handy option for any team. Thus, Punjab Kings spent six crores last year to sign the West Indian before the 15th edition of the IPL. However, the 26-year-old couldn’t live up to the expectations and failed miserably in the IPL.
Thus, with new management now in charge, Kings decided to release the player ahead of the mini-auction. In six matches that he played in IPL 2022, Smith managed to pick only six wickets at an expensive economy rate of 11.87.
But Odean Smith can bat in any order and also offers a quick bowling option, making him a valuable asset for any team. It is predicted that many teams will compete for his services in the bidding process.