HYDERABAD, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Cameron Green of Australia celebrates after scoring a fifty during game three of the T20 International series between India and Australia at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Hyderabad, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction will take place on Friday ighte (AEDT) in Kochi.
The one-day mini-auction will pave the way for all ten teams to finalise their rosters ahead of the flagship league's 16th season next year. While a maximum of 87 seats are available for clubs, the 30 slots available for the top international T20 stars will be a huge draw.
In fact, beginning with player 86, the process will be accelerated, with only those players in high demand being placed for a quick auction. Even though this is a minor event, convinced participants are expected to make a lot of money.
Here are seven players that could be the best buys.
Brook has opened his door to significant bids after his swashbuckling performances through 2022 in both T20Is and Tests.
He was a key member of England's T20 World Cup-winning team in Australia last month and is considered the next great thing in English cricket. Along with veteran teammate Ben Stokes, Brook withstood the storm in the final match against Pakistan with a 23-ball score of 20, but the brash teenager also has what it takes to frustrate the opposition with his powerful strokeplay.
Brook's record in Test cricket has blown everyone away, with 480 runs in three matches with three centuries under his belt.
His performance in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year when he scored the second-fastest PSL century (48 balls) is further evidence of his big hitting. As the youngest player to accomplish the milestone (at 22 years and 362 days), Brook scored 264 runs in eight innings while striking out at an astonishing 171.42.'
The New Zealand duo are expected to get considerable sums of money with their captaincy experiences for the national side.
Williamson, the white ball captain for New Zealand, must not be overlooked at the upcoming auction. He can earn a large fee at auctions as he is a big fish. He can be a fantastic overseas option for organisations seeking a potential captain, despite his subpar IPL performance.
Latham has shown himself in both Tests and ODIs thanks to his capacity to produce massive innings under duress. His amount of appearances also shows that T20s have never been his career's primary priority. His recent performances against India in the One-Day Internationals have reverberated in the franchise's ears.
Latham has scored 322 runs in 15 innings since his last appearance for the New Zealand T20I team in September 2021. The Kiwi's T20 resume needs to be revised, which may deter franchises from raising the paddle for him.
The young Aussie all-rounder will be looking to grab some big money in the mini-IPL auction. The 23-year-old has been in the Australian cricket team since 2020 and has been a great asset for the Test side.
Green has taken the world by storm with his recent performances in the T20 circuit, attracting the eyeballs of big IPL franchises as a hard-hitting opener with his on-the-spot fast bowling.
The all-rounder has featured in 38 games for Australia, amassing nearly 1200 runs and scalping 34 wickets. The base price for Green is INR 2 crore; he will be looking to get some giant bids.
Stokes will be among the highest-bided players in the auction with his experience and expertise in the format. His recent heroic innings in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan paves the way for his T20 cricket revival.
The 31-year-old has already featured in the Indian Premier League, playing for Rajasthan Royals in the previous seasons.
He has 920 runs at a strike rate of 134.5, also taking 28 wickets in the tournament. The base price for an English all-rounder is INR 2 Crore, and franchises like the Chennai Super Kings will be looking for a package ticking off all the boxes.
After taking 13 wickets at an average of 11.38 and an economy rate of 6.52, Curran was chosen as the tournament player and awarded the best player in the T20 WC 2022 final.
The English all-rounder has shown his value is worth its weight in gold with his recent performances in white-ball cricket. Curran previously played for the Chennai Super Kings before his stress fracture injury.
The left-hander has the versatility to bat wherever in the XI and can perform those super-specialist tasks, such as interfering with a spinner's job in the middle overs or even completing an inning.
Curran leads with the ball on the tricky powerplay overs and in the waning later stages of the match.
In 2022, Sikandar Raza was the finest all-around player. The Zimbabwean all-rounder, who is of Pakistani descent, has participated in 26 50-over games and 39 T20 matches overall (15 ODIs).
The 36-year-old has 2,080 runs scored in all of these games put together, making it a prolific year at the crease for the veteran.
In addition, he claimed 58 wickets in those 65 games, earning him the year's top all-rounder. He will be on all teams' radars since he can bat at numbers 5 and 6 and contribute 2-3 quick overs and significant runs.
The Zimbabwean has taken 25 wickets at an economy rate of 6.13 and scored 735 runs in T20Is in 2022.