IPL Auction 2023: The preparation for the IPL 2023 has been in full swing. All the ten franchises are into finding the right balance they need for the upcoming season. The IPL’s governing council has scheduled a mini-auction for the franchises ahead of the next auction. It will be held on December 23 in Kochi. However, ahead of that, the BCCI has set a deadline for all the teams to submit their lists of players they want to release and retain.
Thus, all teams are gearing up for the opportunity given by the BCCI. Already it has been seen that it has led some teams to release their big stars. Mumbai Indians have released their most experienced player, Kieron Pollard, who has played 11 seasons for the franchise. Pollard joined MI in 2012. On the other hand, CSK has also released veteran pacer and highest IPL wicket-taker Dwayne Bravo ahead of the auction. And as the auction is not far away, more surprising decisions are coming from other franchises as well.
IPL Auction 2023: Shardul Thakur joins Kolkata Knight Riders
The two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders are looking quite active ahead of the mini-auction. On Sunday, KKR added two big names to their lineup. They picked the fastest IPL pacer Lockie Ferguson and Afghan star Rahmanullah Gurbaz to their side. And now they have added another Indian star to their ranks. The Indian pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who was part of the Delhi Capitals in the last season, has joined KKR.
Shardul has also played for CSK, PBKS, MI, and the former franchise Rising Pune Supergiants. The all-rounder played all the games for DC in the 2022 season. He picked up 15 wickets in 14 games and also scored 120 runs at a strike rate of 138. Overall, he has played 75 IPL games and scored 82 wickets at an economy rate of 9.06.
IPL Auction 2023: Sunrisers Hyderabad is likely to release Kane Williamson
Sunrisers Hyderabad is likely to release skipper Kane Williamson ahead of the auction. It was the most surprising news for SRH fans, as the franchise had previously released former captain David Warner, and now they have done the same with Williamson. The performance of the Kiwi skipper wasn’t that great last season.
He played in 13 games and scored just 216 runs at an average of 19.64 and a strike rate of 93.51 with only one half-century. So it will be interesting to see if Williamson will be released so who will be the next captain of the team. Overall, Williamson has played 76 games for SRH and scored 2101 runs at an average of 36.22 with 18 half-centuries. He led them to the finals of the 2019 season.
Punjab Kings released Mayank Agarwal. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team
Earlier, the Punjab Kings also shocked everyone when they released their last season’s captain, Mayank Agarwal, ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. Agarwal led PBKS in 2022 season. But they ended sixth on the table with seven wins and seven defeats. However, his individual performances were not that brilliant. He made 196 runs in 12 innings at an average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 122.50. The Mohali-based franchise has also confirmed that the veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team in the next season.