IPL 2023: 5 overseas players who might be the most expensive buys in IPL 16 auction

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

The IPL 2023 auction is set to happen on December 23 in Kochi and recently the IPL authorities announced that 405 players had been shortlisted to go under the hammer.

Initially, a total of 369 players were shortlisted by 10 teams from the initial list of 991 players. Thirty-six additional players were requested by teams, which are added to the final list which makes a total of 405 players.

Out of the shortlisted players, 273 are Indians and 132 are overseas players of which 4 players are from associate nations. The total capped players are 119, uncapped players are 282, and 4 are from associate nations.

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A total of 87 slots are now available with up to 30 being slotted for overseas players.

It has been a pattern of 2-3 foreign players going for a massive amount of money in the auction and it is expected that there are many big names in the IPL 2023 auction that may fetch those big-money bids.

Considering this, Team COC presents to you the five such names which can potentially get the franchises into a bidding war and become one of the most expensive overseas players.

Check them out here:

SIKANDAR RAZA (ZIM)

One of the most talented players to play for Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza has become the cornerstone of their batting in recent times, especially in white-ball cricket. He bats in the middle order and can hit the big shots in the death overs.

He had to remodel his bowling action and with now a Sunil Narine-like action, he has been bamboozling the opposition consistently. Having made his debut in 2013, Raza has played 17 Tests, 123 ODIs, and 66 T20Is.

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Raza has 3656 ODI runs with 6 centuries and a best of 141. He also has 70 ODI wickets to his name. In T20Is, he has 1259 runs at a strike rate of 128.26 and 38 wickets to his name. Overall in T20s, he has 3047 runs and 75 wickets in 155 20-over matches.

He was a star for Zimbabwe in the recent T20 World Cup with over 200 runs and 10 wickets to his name. Given his experience and current form for Zimbabwe, expect Raza to get some big bids in the IPL 2022 auction where all-rounders are highly valued.

HARRY BROOK (ENG)

23-year-old Harry Brook has been a revelation for England since his debut this season. The young batter has impressed in T20Is with 372 runs in 20 matches at a strike rate of 137.77, while he made two consecutive centuries in the first two Tests against Pakistan recently.

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His T20 career has seen him play 99 matches and score 2432 runs at a strike rate of 148.38 with one ton and 9 fifties to his name. He is widely regarded as one of the most destructive batters in modern-day cricket and with a few franchises looking for openers and towards building their team for the next few years, Brook may find a bidding war going for him in the auction.

CAMERON GREEN (AUS)

Cameron Green is one name who has been doing rounds ever since he hammered a 19-ball T20I fifty against India and had impressed one and all in Test matches as well. He can hit big shots at will and can bowl at a brisk pace.

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His T20 strike rate is 137.64, but many consider him to be at par with Shane Watson in terms of being more of a batting all-rounder who can bowl at any time at a good pace. Given that he scored those runs against India while opening the innings, a lot of interest has build-up amongst the IPL franchises for Green.

And it was big news that he had entered the IPL 2023 auction as someone who can bowl and bat at the top gives big flexibility to any team and expect Green to be one of the most expensive buys in the auction.

SAM CURRAN (ENG)

Sam Curran had been a great find for Punjab Kings in IPL 2019, and impressed one and all by taking a hat-trick that season as well. He was later picked up by Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2020, where he actually flourished as an all-rounder under MS Dhoni.

In IPL 2020, Curran made 186 runs and picked up 13 wickets, and even opened the innings for CSK at times. He was decent in IPL 2021 as well but missed IPL 2022 as he was dealing with his back issues.

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But now he returned with some amazing performances as he was the Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament in England’s recent T20 World Cup 2022 triumph in Australia.

Given his performances and experience of bowling on Indian tracks, Curran might be one of the most expensive buys in the IPL 2023 auction.

BEN STOKES (ENG)

One player who piques interest every time he enters the IPL auction is England superstar Ben Stokes. He was the Most Valuable Player in his debut season in IPL 2017 where he made 316 runs and picked 12 wickets.

His record in the IPL has been very good with 920 runs and 28 wickets in 43 matches and he has two centuries to his name as well. He gave the IPL 2022 a miss due to workload issues.

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And now that he has shown interest in getting back into IPL, expect all the ten franchises trying to get the best all-rounder into their squad, no matter what price they pay for him in the IPL 2023 auction.