Before the deadline of November 15, all ten IPL franchises revealed the names of the released players. Most of the names in that list of released players were expected to be discarded, but there were a few surprising names also in IPL 2023 Auction.
Releasing a player does not necessarily mean that the franchise has lost interest in continuing with that player in the upcoming editions. Many reasons lead to players getting released from a team. Team combination, lack of clarity in roles, increasing the purse value, and various other factors lead a team to release certain players.
Thus, one should not expect that offloaded players won’t attract bids from the teams they had just been released.
Here are 5 released players who are likely to be bought back by their franchise in IPL 2023 auction
1. Jason Holder
When the list of released players was revealed on November 15, the Barbadian all-rounder was one of the most surprising names. In IPL 2022 mega-auction, a bidding war started for Jason Holder as four teams started to call bids for him. Eventually, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was successful in roping in him for a huge amount of ₹8.75 Crore.
While playing for the Lucknow-based franchise, Holder finished the season with modest returns as he scalped 12 wickets and scored 58 runs in 12 matches. His exorbitant price in the previous auction is a likely reason which has compelled LSG to release him, and as his performance was decent in IPL 2022, the franchise may contemplate buying him back at a fewer price.
2. Narayan Jagadeesan
Despite being in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad since IPL 2018, Narayan Jagadeesan has gotten the opportunity to play only in 7 matches, debuting in IPL 2020. In the later part of the previous season, when CSK’s chance of reaching the playoffs got over, the wicketkeeper-batter was included in the XI, and he scored 40 runs in 2 innings at a meager strike rate of 108.11. CSK did not want to want to continue with the player, and as a result, he was released.
But since then, things have changed drastically as Jagadeesan started to score centuries at will. Playing for Tamil Nadu, Jagadeesan finished this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy as the top run-getter with 830 runs. He had a whopping average of 138.33, and his strike rate in that 50-over tournament was 125.37.
Jagadeesan also smashed 5 consecutive tons, one of which put his name in the record books as he registered the highest List A score by scoring 277 against Arunachal Pradesh. These impressive numbers should tempt CSK to once again bid for Jagadeesan in the upcoming auction.
3. Nicholas Pooran
Quite unexpectedly, Nicholas Pooran’s price in the IPL 2022 auction soared to ₹10.75 Crore, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) calling the final bid. The big-hitting left-hander finished the season with 306 runs at a strike rate of 144.34 in 13 innings. SRH had a poor campaign in which they finished in 8th place and offloaded half of their squad, with Pooran ending up on the list of released players.
His price may have played a part in the decision to release him, as Pooran’s performance was not too bad to axe him. In the list of their retained players, the Hyderabad-based franchise does not have a decent wicketkeeper-batter and may look toward Pooran to fill that gap but at a lower price. Pooran’s recent form has been phenomenal, as he was the top run-scorer in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, which may encourage SRH further to bring him back.
4. Shivam Mavi
The pacer from Uttar Pradesh has been with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) since impressing in the Under-19 World Cup 2018. In the previous five seasons, Shivam Mavi got decent opportunities for the team. The franchise has so much belief in his potential that they did not hesitate to pay ₹7.25 Crore in the IPL 2022 auction. But he could not justify that price tag and managed to take only 5 wickets in 6 outings.
KKR’s think tank eventually decided to discard the pacer, but Mavi’s recent exploits may change their plans of moving on from him. In the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, the right-arm pacer took 14 wickets at an average of 17.64 and an economy rate of 4.15.
KKR is a team who likes to keep the core of their squad intact, and after noting Mavi’s impressive numbers in the domestic circuit, the team may want to buy him back at a cheaper amount.
5. Odean Smith
Over the years, West Indies have produced many power-hitting T20 specialists, and Odean Smith is one of the latest bearers of that tradition. In IPL 2022 mega-auction, Punjab Kings (PBKS) spent a hefty amount of ₹6.00 Crore for Smith. He started the season magnificently, bagging the Player of the Match award on his IPL debut. But since that match, his performance dipped as he could only manage to score 51 runs and take 6 wickets in the 6 matches he played.
Before IPL 2023 Auction, PBKS decided to part ways with him. But looking at the lack of pace-bowling all-rounder options in their squad, one must consider the possibility of bringing Smith back to the squad at a lower price. Smith was excellent with the bat in the Caribbean Premier League 2022 and had decent numbers in international cricket too.
Conclusion
We have seen in the past that franchises have released certain players due to monetary reasons or as a strategic call, only to buy them back. This time also the trend is unlikely to change as a few players are expected to return to those teams for which they had taken part in the previous IPL.
FAQs
Q1:- How many teams Jason Holder has played for in the IPL apart from Lucknow Super Giants?
Ans:- Jason Holder has previously played for Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad before joining Lucknow Super Giants.
Q2:- What is the base price of Nicholas Pooran in the IPL 2023 auction?
Ans:- Nicholas Pooran has kept his base price at ₹2 Crore for the IPL 2023 auction.
Q3:- How many players from West Indies have registered their names in the mini-auction?
Ans:- 33 players from West Indies are set to be part of the upcoming IPL auction.
