IPL 2023 Auction: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set a deadline for all 10 IPL teams to submit their lists of retained and released players by Tuesday, November 15. Thus, all the franchises are making their efforts to finalise their core set of players, which they want to retain. However, amid all these preparations, there is big news coming for all the IPL fans. The news is that the English media has confirmed that superstar all-rounder Ben Stokes will be available for the 2023 auction.
Stokes, who led his country to T20 World Cup glory with a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the final, skipped the last season due to a four-month mental break, citing a mental-health issue. But now, the all-rounder is likely to make his comeback in the cash-rich league. That will surely be big news for all ten franchises. Especially for those who are looking for an all-rounder in the middle.
IPL Auction 2023: Ben Stokes to be available in the IPL auction: Reports
Stokes has already retired from ODI cricket and is only playing T20I and Test cricket. He is the captain of the red-ball format, while in the T20 World Cup, he showed once again why he is the best all-rounder in the game. As per the report from The Guardian, he will be entering the upcoming auction. Because of the 2023 ODI World Cup, England will not play many T20I games, which is why the all-rounder will be available for the IPL 2023.
But it might look a bit tough as well. The IPL 2023 is likely to be played between March 25 and May 28, and just after the IPL ends, England will play a one-off Test match at Lord’s against Ireland in a four-day gap. Stokes was part of the Rajasthan Royals in the 2021 season with a contract worth INR 12.5 crore. The franchise released him in 2021. However, many IPL franchises inquired about his availability from the BCCI. And now that it has been confirmed, the team would like to sign him for sure.
Punjab Kings were among the first IPL teams to enquire about his availability. Notably, PBKS has the highest purse value of almost INR 30 crore, so they could go hard for him in the auction. RCB is also looking for a genuine all-rounder. So these two teams will surely enter into a bidding war for the all-rounder.
IPL Auction 2023: Pat Cummins to skip the IPL 2023 while KKR released three more players
Ace pacer and Australian Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins has also decided to skip the next season of the IPL. He confirmed it through Twitter. Cummins shared a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday and informed followers that he will not be available for the upcoming IPL season due to his hectic schedule. Cummins also thanked the Kolkata Knight Riders and their fans for their support.
Australia will play the Ashes series with England, which will start in June just ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. And with the IPL set to end on May 28, it might not be possible for him to take a rest before the Ashes and World Cup. On the other hand, the two-time champion, KKR, has also released their three players ahead of the 2023 auction. They have released pacer Shivam Mavi, Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne, and Afghan veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi.