Predicting the 3 most expensive Indian buys at the IPL 2023 auction

The excitement over the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction is constantly on the rise with only a handful of days left before some top cricketers go under the hammer. The mini-auction is all set to be held in Kochi on Friday, December 23.

A few days back, the T20 league organizers confirmed the final player auction list, announcing that 405 cricketers have been shortlisted for the auction by the 10 franchises. The list includes 273 Indian cricketers and 132 overseas players, out of which four are from associate nations.

Of the final player auction list, 119 are capped players and 282 are uncapped, while the remaining four are associate-nation cricketers. The official IPL release also confirmed that a maximum of 87 slots can be filled at the 2023 auction, with 30 of those being for overseas players.

Out of the 273 Indian cricketers who have been shortlisted for the IPL 2023 auction, a few are likely to be in high demand. In this feature, we predict the three most expensive Indian buys at the mini-auction.

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#1 Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal was elevated to Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain for IPL 2022 after KL Rahul moved to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). However, the 31-year-old had a forgettable season with the willow. In 13 matches, he managed only 196 runs at an average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 122.50.

Agarwal only had a solitary half-century to show for his efforts with the bat. After struggling at the top of the order, he even sacrificed his opening slot and demoted himself to the middle order. However, it was to no avail, as his woes continued. PBKS’ inconsistency made matters worse for him as the franchise again failed to qualify for the playoffs.

The right-handed batter has had an inconsistent ride for Karnataka as well in the ongoing domestic season. However, he is a proven performer in the IPL, having played some stunning knocks in the past. He scored 424 runs at a strike rate of 156.45 in 2020 and 441 runs at a strike rate of 140.44 the following year.

Agarwal has placed his name in the auction in the ₹1 crore price bracket. There is a decent possibility of him ending up as the most expensive Indian buy at the IPL 2023 auction.

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#2 N Jagadeesan

Tamil Nadu keeper-batter N Jagadeesan turned out for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2022 season. He featured in two games, scoring 40 runs at a strike rate of 108.11. The 26-year-old was somewhat expectedly released when CSK announced their retention list ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.

In the wake of what he has achieved in the ongoing domestic season, though, not only CSK, but a number of other franchises could also be keen to acquire his services for the upcoming IPL season. Jagadeesan finished as the leading run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022-23, clobbering 830 runs in six matches at an average of 138.33.

In a match against Arunachal Pradesh, he broke a number of records. The in-form batter became the first player to smash five consecutive List-A tons. He also rewrote the record for the highest individual score in List-A matches, scoring 277 off just 141 balls with the aid of 25 fours and 15 sixes.

The keeper-batter has carried his impressive form into the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season as well. In the high-scoring draw against Hyderabad, he scored 116 off 97 deliveries in the first innings and a whirlwind 59* off a mere 22 balls in the second, giving an audition of his dazzling stroke-making ability ahead of the auction.

While the uncapped Jagadeesan has listed his name in the ₹20 lakh price bracket, there is every chance of him bagging a contract worth a few crores.

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#3 Jaydev Unadkat

Veteran Saurashtra left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat was recently in the news when he was recalled to the Indian Test team for the first time since 2010. It was a deserving recall as the 31-year-old has toiled extremely hard in domestic cricket over the last few years and has produced the desired results.

Speaking of his IPL career, he was picked up by Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹1.3 crore at the 2022 auction. The seamer played five matches, claiming six wickets at an average of 31.67 and an economy rate of 9.50. Unadkat had earlier represented the Rajasthan Royals (RR) from 2018 to 2020. While he was among the wickets, his economy, which was around 10 in all three seasons, forced the franchise to look beyond him.

While it is true that franchises might be wary of spending too much on Unadkat, they might find it difficult to ignore his impressive recent performances. He was the leading wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022-23, picking up 19 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 16.10 in Saurashtra’s title-winning campaign.

The cricketer has also worked extremely hard on his batting skills and is now a handy lower-order hitter who can deliver a few clean strikes. He has seven fifties in first-class cricket and one each in his List-A and T20 career. Unadkat has set his base price at ₹50 lakh for the auction.

Despite his previous failures in the IPL, franchises might be tempted to give him another go, considering the tremendous form he has displayed with the ball lately.

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Also Read: Predicting the most expensive buys in Set 3 of the IPL 2023 Auction