After the retention of players for IPL 2023, all the teams will now look forward to the mini-auction set to happen on December 23, 2022. The retention was full of surprises where some teams left their long-associated players and some traded new players from other teams. One of the most highlighted moments of this retention policy was the retirement of Kieron Pollard from IPL.
Now, teams and their management will look forward to the auction where they can fill the empty spaces. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer and now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that an England Star could be the most expensive buy in the upcoming IPL auction on 23. The player is none other than England’s test captain Ben Stokes who guided the team to a victory against Pakistan which helped them to lift the T20 World Cup for the second time.
Ben Stokes was not part of IPL 2022 due to personal reasons and some injuries. However, the all-rounder is now all set to be part of IPL 2023 and the mini-auction is the first junction for him where Manjrekar feels that the player will get a hefty price from the teams.
While talking to star sports, Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Ben Stokes, straight away. No. 1 (hottest property). He is a match-winner. If you make it to the playoffs, the big stage. These are the people who come to the party.”
The former Indian cricketer also had some applause for Sam Curran, the man of the tournament in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. Manjrekar feels that the young all-rounder could be on the radar of many teams looking at his current form and performance.
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He further added, “Sam Curran is a very interesting English player who has a lot of Asian quality in the way he bowls. So he would ideally be picked by a team that is going to play a lot of home games where the bounce is a little low and the pitch is a bit slow. That is why CSK used him beautifully when he had a big season with them. That would be a consideration.”
