Cricket News

Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Cameron Green likely to enter Indian T20 League 2023 auction – Reports

England all-rounder Ben Stokes is expected to return to Indian T20 League next season as he has shown interest in putting up his name for the upcoming mini-auction for the 2023 edition. Stokes missed the 2022 season to focus on Test cricket as he took over the captaincy charge from Joe Root. Apart from Stokes, Sam Curran and Cameron Green are also likely to enter the auction next month, according to reports.

Stokes has already announced his retirement from ODI cricket to manage his workload as he prioritised the other two formats over 50-over cricket. According to a report in Cricbuzz, Stokes is showing some interest to participate in Indian T20 League 2023 despite the fact that the Ashes series immediately follows the franchise league tournament in the 2023 summer.

The historic Ashes Test series will start on June 16 next year and the Indian T20 League usually gets finished in the first week of June. The franchise owners and management will keep a tab on the availability of the English and Australian players for the upcoming season.

Two other rising all-rounders in world cricket at the moment Sam Curran and Cameron Green are also highly likely to enter the auction. Curran already has rich experience of playing in the Indian T20 League but he missed the last season due to an injury. On the other hand, Australia’s big future prospect Green will look to make a big name for himself in Indian T20 League next year.

The report also suggested that Punjab are expected to release Mayank Agarwal (Rs 12 crore), Shahrukh Khan (Rs 9 crore) and Odean Smith (Rs 6 crore) to enter the auction with a big purse. Mayank was the captain of the Punjab side last year but he failed to make any impact as he also had an underwhelming season with the bat. While their big buys Shahrukh and Odean also failed to live up to the expectations and were eventually dropped from the playing XI after a few matches.

Meanwhile, Istanbul is among the five venues shortlisted to host the Indian T20 League auction which is likely to be held on December 16, according to an Indian Cricket Board official. Besides the Turkish capital and Bengaluru, the usual venue for the auction, New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad are also in contention.