Hours before the start of the IPL 2023 mini-auction, there is a lot of excitement among the fans for the bidding war set to happen in Kochi. While the fans are brimming with exhilaration, franchises would also be hoping to make the best use of this opportunity to rope in the best resources before the actual cricket action commences in late March or April next year.
Before the actual auction on December 23, the digital streaming partner of the tournament from this year Jio Cinemas conducted a mock auction on the eve of the D-Day. With all eyes on overseas all-rounders Ben Stokes, Cameroon Green and Sam Curran, it was interesting to see which way the bidders in the studio went for when the name Cameroon Green was announced. While Stokes and Curran have already made a mark in the IPL, this will be the first time Green heads into the auction.
The expert panel for this mock-show had the likes of Anil Kumble, Scott Styris, Chris Gayle, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Eoin Morgan, RP Singh and Murali Karthik. It was Styris who was representing the SRH franchise in the mock auction and he went all out to include Green for an amount of INR 20 crores, which is enough indication to suggest that the Aussie all-rounder could get a handsome amount at the actual event.
Here is the video:
Meanwhile, in a move that did raise a few eyebrows none of the experts on the show put in a bid for former Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson. Notably, Williamson did captain SRH in the last season but was released by the team before the bidding war this year. Despite a lot of debate over his strike rate in the shortest format, he is likely to attract a bids, given his vast experience and the stability he provides.
Sam Curran (19.5 crore), Ben Stokes (19 crore), Odean Smith (8.5 crore) and Nicholas Pooran (8.5 crore) were some of the other top picks.