IPL 2023: 5 capped Indian players who might find a buyer in IPL 16 auction

The IPL 2023 auction will happen on December 23 in Kochi.

The IPL 2023 auction is slated to be held in Kochi on December 23 and has seen 991 players registering themselves for a chance to play in the world’s most popular and richest T20 cricket league.

This IPL auction will be a mini auction but expect lots of action where some players might get huge bids and find new homes and some might be picked by the franchises who released them for a lesser price.

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There are 714 Indian players registered for the auction of which there are 19 capped Indian players and taking into account the list, Team COC picks five capped Indian players who might find a buyer in IPL 2023 auction.

AMIT MISHRA (Base Price- 50 lakhs)

Amit Mishra at 40 years and 13 days, is the oldest cricketer who has registered for the IPL 2023 player auction and was most recently part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise. He played cumulative of 7 matches in the last two IPL seasons and was unsold in IPL 2022 auction.

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He is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 166 scalps to his name and the only one with three hat-tricks to his name as well. A wily spinner, Amit Mishra will add value to any franchise that picks him and did well for Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy recently, with 10 wickets in 8 matches at an economy of 5.62.    

JAYDEV UNADKAT (Base Price- 50 lakhs)

Jaydev Unadkat will be entering the IPL 2023 auction on the back of leading Saurashtra to the Vijay Hazare Trophy victory and he was the leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps in 10 matches. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, he picked 9 wickets in 7 matches.

Unadkat was part of the Mumbai Indians side in IPL 2022 but picked only 6 wickets in 5 matches at an economy of 9.50.

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Still just 31 years of age, Unadkat has a wealth of experience and variations for a pacer in T20 cricket and is expected to find a new home in the IPL 2023 auction as the tournament goes back to home and away format, giving Unadkat a chance to showcase his skills on a variety of pitches across India.

AJINKYA RAHANE (Base Price- 50 lakhs)

Ajinkya Rahane was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as one of their openers and was preferred from the start. He played 7 matches, scoring 133 runs at a strike rate of 103.91 before a hamstring injury cut short his IPL 2022.

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Rahane was then released by the franchise, who made space for some new talent on their side. But given the vast experience the former India Test vice-captain possesses of leading sides in the IPL, and the fact that he opens the innings, expect a franchise to buy him to be that leader in the field and someone experienced at the top.

MANISH PANDEY (Base Price- 1 cr)

Manish Pandey was haunted by poor strike rate issues for the past three IPL seasons before he found himself back in the auction pool for the IPL 2023 auction. His strike rate in IPL 2020 was 127.62 where he made 425 runs in 16 matches for SRH, while in IPL 2021, he scored 292 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 123.72.

He was picked by the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 4.60 crores. He was expected to strengthen the LSG middle order but struggled big time. He only played 6 matches, scoring 88 runs at a strike rate of 110.

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This led to LSG parting ways with Manish Pandey, who is the first Indian to score a century in IPL, which came in the 2009 edition in South Africa.

Though Pandey has been criticized for his scoring rate, he knows he has to evolve with the game, si talented enough to work on his shortcomings, and given his track record, the Karnataka cricketer should find a new home without much difficulty.

MAYANK AGARWAL (Base Price- 1 cr)

Mayank Agarwal came into the IPL 2022 tournament on the back of two consecutive seasons in which he had scored more than 400 runs for Punjab Kings (PBKS). He made 424 runs in IPL 2020 and 441 runs in IPL 2021.

But in IPL 2022, Agarwal was handed an additional responsibility of captaincy as KL Rahul had parted ways with PBKS and his friend and fellow opener Agarwal became the new captain. Much was expected from the young gun, who was leading a team in IPL in a full-time capacity for the first time.

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However, his batting was terribly impacted by the weight of captaincy and as PBKS faltered as the tournament progressed, Agarwal’s woes continued as he even batted down the order. Ultimately, he managed just 196 runs in 13 matches with one fifty to his name at a strike rate of 122.50 and an average of 16.33.

This led to PBKS releasing Mayank and making Shikhar Dhawan their captain for IPL 2023 and Agarwal found himself in the auction pool where he kept his base price at INR 1 cr.

Given his previous record in the tournament, where he has 2327 runs in 113 matches with 1 century and 12 fifties, expect the Karnataka batter to find a new home that will help him restart in a new year with new vigor.