4 shocking decisions at IPL 2023 Auctions

IPL 2023 Auctions recently ended in Kochi. It was an interesting affair because multiple records were broken in the tournament. There were a lot of obvious decisions and some shocking calls. Here, we take a look at four shocking decisions at IPL 2023 Auctions.

Auction dynamics are such that franchises are forced to take some decisions out of instinct. This could either succeed or prove to be a bad call. A few of them leave the fans and experts surprised, too.

1) Mumbai Indians bidding INR 17.5 Cr for Cameron Green

Barring the India series, Cameron Green has not done a lot in T20s. Moreover, MI had its opening combination frozen and Green would not get to play at his preferred spot. Hence, it was a shocking decision that MI broke its club record for signing Green. Now, apart from finishing games with the bat, Green could also be asked to finish his four overs every game. This would be a tough job for the young lad, at least for now.

2) Chennai Super Kings not going for a death-overs specialist

CSK not investing in a death-overs specialist is also one of the shocking decisions at IPL 2023 Auctions. While CSK signing Ben Stokes formed the headlines, this decision met with a lot of surprised because if CSK now plays Stokes and Conway, they would be left with no death-overs specialists. While Mukesh Choudhary has to bowl in the powerplay, Deepak Chahar is not known for doing well in the end. Dwaine Pretorius now has to play in the XI along with Maheesh Theekshana. Hence, Conway has to be left out and this would weaken the batting a bit.

3) Punjab Kings not spending much after hiring Sam Curran

Punjab made the biggest purchase of the evening and after that, their next big recruit was Sikandar Raza for INR 50 Lakhs! The team did have money and some spots to fill. Yet, they were not very active. The team needed to replace Mayank Agarwal with an Indian batter who can operate at No.3. This would have allowed Liam Livingstone and Shahrukh Khan to be the finishers. They have not got a lot of options now. Hence, their auction strategy seemed flawed.

4) Delhi Capitals getting Manish Pandey 

Delhi Capitals getting Manish Pandey is one of the shocking decisions at IPL 2023 Auctions. Apart from Prithvi Shaw, DC already had Yash Dhull and Sarfaraz Khan in the squad. They did not need any top-order domestic batters. Manish Pandey's best position in a T20 XI is at the top. Now, DC hired the player and it would be hard to fit him in the XI. If they do fit, it may not be a wise call. DC could have instead gone for a lower order hitter, which would have solved a lot of issues for them.