IPL 2023: 5 franchises that could pick Ben Stokes in mini auction

Ben Stokes is one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket at the moment. Stokes was the architect of two of the greatest acts in cricket, the 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s and the 2019 Ashes Test at Headingley. Not just by sheer batting brilliance, he has left the world in awe with his lively bowling spells on many occasions. Though most of Stokes’ phenomenal performances have come in Tests and ODIs, the ace all-rounder has shown his might in the shortest format too. He has scored 533 runs in 41 T20Is at a strike rate of 130.63 and bagged 25 wickets for his side. The Christchurch-born has proven his might in the Indian Premier League as well, scoring 920 runs in 43 games at a strike rate of 134.50 and bagging 28 scalps. Stokes has entered the IPL auction landscape twice and on both occasions, franchises have broken their bank to rope him. With the 31-year-old expected to feature at the 2023 IPL auction, another bidding war could be on the cards. Here are the franchises who could pick Ben Stokes at the upcoming auction: 5. Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad invested a whopping sum of INR 7.75 crore to sign Romario Shepherd for the 15th edition of the IPL. However, the 27-year-old failed to justify his price tag with his performances. Though Shepherd did a decent job with the bat, smashing 58 runs in three games at a strike rate of 141.46, he had an awful showing on the bowling front as he leaked runs at an economy of 10.89. Following the mediocre showings, he was dropped from the side and was not given another run. It is likely SRH will move past Shepherd, which will in turn free up a huge sum. The Hyderabad franchise could use those funds to rope in a top-drawer all-rounder in the former of Stokes in the upcoming auction. When it comes to high-quality all-rounder,s there are very few players who are at par with Stokes. The 31-year-old is a ferocious striker of the cricket ball and a brilliant contributor with the bat. With the England cricketer up for grabs at the 2023 IPL auction, SRH could go hammer and tongs to sign him and add depth to their side. 4. Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians signed Daniel Sams and Fabian Allen at the 2022 mega auction to contribute in both the departments However, the duo failed to set the stage ablaze with its showings. Sams did a good job on the bowling front, picking 13 scalps in 11 games at an economy of 8.81 but was awful with the bat, scoring mere 38 runs at a strike rate of 105.56. Coming to Allen, the West Indies all-rounder scored eight runs in the lone game he played and conceded runs at an alarming rate of 11.50 while Kieron Pollard’s dwindling returns did not help either. The T20 giant could only score 144 runs in 11 games at a poor strike rate of 107.46 and took four wickets for the side. As a result, the Mumbai franchise struggled to find the right team composition throughout the season. The inclusion of Stokes could help lessen MI’s worries as he can perform the role Hardik Pandya used to in the earlier seasons. 3. Chennai Super Kings Chennai Super Kings has the likes of Shivam Dube, Dwayne Bravo and Dwaine Pretorious in their ranks as their seam-bowling all-round options. However, among the three, only Dube could bat in the top six. Also, Bravo being 39 years old does not have age by his side. Thus, the Chennai franchise could go fishing for a seam-bowling all-rounder at the upcoming auction. Given Stokes’ all-round prowess, he could be a tempting option for the four-time IPL champions. The swashbuckling cricketer is the incumbent skipper of the England Test team and has an abundance of experience in the shortest format of the game. Thus, the addition of Stokes will also give a great captaincy option to the side after Dhoni hangs his boots. One can expect CSK to go all guns blazing for Stokes at the 2023 IPL auction. 2. Punjab Kings Punjab Kings did an amazing job at the 2022 mega auction, packing themselves with match-winners on both, batting and bowling fronts. However, they failed to sign a high-quality multifaceted players who could provide the right balance to the side. PBKS invested heavily in Odean Smith to fill the all-rounder void but it did not reap dividends. The 26-year-old could manage mere 51 runs in six games at a strike rate of 115.91 and conceded runs at an alarming rate of 11.87. Following his mediocre outings, Punjab tried Rishi Dhawan for the all-rounder’s role. The Himachal Pradesh-born did a good job with the ball, picking six wickets in as many games but was quite poor with the bat, scoring mere 37 runs at a strike rate of 92.50. As Smith and Dhawan have not been able to make a mark with their performances, PBKS might move past them and look for different options to deliver the goods in both departments. Stokes is one of the top all-rounders in the game and the Punjab franchise could look to pick him at the upcoming auction. 1. Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals went on to a bidding war at the 2018 IPL auction to sign Stokes and eventually grabbed the ace all-rounder at a staggering sum of INR 12.50 crore. The 31-year-old was a vital cog to the Rajasthan setup as he added depth to the side with his all-round might. Stokes was associated with RR till the 2021 season. During his stint with the franchise, the swashbuckling cricketer aggregated 604 runs in 31 games and bagged 16 wickets for the side. Given he has been a proven performer for Rajasthan, Sanju Samson & Co. could look to reinvest in him at the forthcoming auction. Moreover, James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell, who were the batting all-rounders picked by Rajasthan at the previous mega auction, were not able to set the stage on fire with their displays. Neesham could manage just 31 runs in two outings and was not able to have any impact with the ball. Mitchell, on the other hand, scored mere 33 runs in two matches. With the duo failing to make the most of the opportunities, it is a high possibility that Rajasthan would try to include Stokes in their squad.

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IPL 2023: 5 franchises that could pick Ben Stokes in mini auction

Ben Stokes is one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket and franchises could go for a bidding war to sign him.

3. Chennai Super Kings

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