5 Smartest Picks in the IPL 2023 Auction

A franchise can’t only rely on big-money picks to form a strong squad. Considering the purse amount and number of slots to be filled, teams have to pick some low-budget players. But, the aim is to pick the best possible players in whatever budget you have.

So, if franchise owners can get some top players under 2 crore, it’s gold dust for them. It’s not that hard in a league like IPL, where almost all the International cricketers are available. IPL franchises benefited from this fact as we saw some steal deals in the IPL 2023 auction.

Here are the best 5 of those deals:

Sikandar Raza

The Zimbabwean all-rounder will play in the cash-rich league for the first time. He was picked by the Punjab Kings side for his base price of 50 lakh INR. Considering his recent white-ball form, that’s probably the smartest pick of the auction.

In T20Is in 2022, Raza has scored 735 runs in 23 innings. He averages 35 and strikes at almost 151. It’s the first year of Raza’s T20 International career, where he is averaging more than 22.5. These runs have come along with 5 half-centuries. The all-rounder was the key figure in Zimbabwe’s qualification for the World Cup and their upset win over Pakistan.

The right-hander has had a terrific year with the ball as well. Raza has picked 25 wickets in 2022 at an economy rate of just 6.14. So, he brings the desired balance to a T20 side. Getting that balance in just 50 lacks is indeed a great move by Punjab Kings.

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib is rated as one of the finest all-rounders of this era as well as smartest picks in IPL. He has the ability to win the games with both bat and ball. The all-rounder has represented Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. KKR have played him in 6 seasons, while SRH got him for a couple of seasons.

The left-hander was part of the IPL-winning KKR squad in 2012 as well as 2014. Now, he has returned to his old franchise for just 1.5 crore INR. Considering his skills and experience, it’s indeed one of the steal deals of the IPL 2023 auction.

David Wiese

Namibia’s all-rounder a smartest picks in IPL, hasn’t played in the Indian Premier League since 2016. But he has played almost every other league and won his first PSL trophy in 2022. The guy has accumulated 3622 runs and picked up 247 wickets in this format. There’s no exaggeration in calling him one of the legends in T20 cricket.

The Kolkata Knight Riders had the lowest purse remaining for the mini-auction, and they had 11 slots to fill. So, they needed to rope in a couple of big names for a cheap price. Just like Shakib, KKR also picked Wiese at a low price. He will be paid 1 crore INR for the IPL 2023, and KKR must be thrilled to have him.

Adam Zampa

The Australian has bowled in 14 innings in the Indian Premier League and bagged 21 scalps. Apart from IPL, he also has got a tremendous record in T20 Internationals. The leggie has picked 82 wickets in 71 T20Is with a best of 5 for 19. The more impressive stat is his economy rate, which is just 6.93.

He also played a vital role in Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2021. Also, he has picked 43 wickets in T20Is during the last couple of years. So, Adam Zampa is the perfect wrist spinner that a team needs in this format. Rajasthan Royals have got him in just 1.5 crore INR, and they must be delighted with it.

Adil Rashid

England’s leg spinner is hailed as one of the finest white ball spinners going around. With 93 T20I and 255 T20 wickets, he is a master of his craft. He rose to the occasion in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, as England were up against Sri Lanka in a must-win game. Rash returned with the figures of 1 for 16 in 4 overs.

Then, the wrist spinner produced another master class in the semi-final against India. While conceding just 20 runs in his quota of 4 overs, he got the all-important wicket of Suryakumar Yadav. The leggie was saving his best for the final, as he picked up two wickets for just 22 runs. Those wickets were of in form Mohammed Haris and Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam.

His spell was highly crucial in restricting Pakistan to a below-par total. Sunrisers Hyderabad have done a great job to rope him in for just 2 crore INR, as his experience and form can help them a great deal.

Top 5 Steal Deals in IPL 2023 Auction