Cameron Green is a young seam-bowling all-rounder from Australia. The young man is rated very highly in the Australian cricketing circles and has played for the Aussies in all three formats. However, so far, he has majorly featured in Test cricket but in his brief white-ball career, he has shown all the potential to be the next superstar in world cricket.
He first grabbed eyeballs as a T20 player when on Australia’s tour of India before the 2022 T20 World Cup, Green opened the innings and smashed two half-centuries against India. Both these knocks came at a strike rate of well over 200 and the fact that he can bat anywhere in the batting order, makes him a great asset for any team.
However, his utility does not stop there. He can bowl his quota of four overs more often than not and can notch up speeds around 140 kph which makes him a genuine all-rounder, a rare asset in world cricket. All these factors have created a huge buzz and demand for Cameron Green and he is surely a player to watch out for in the upcoming auction.
Now, let’s see which IPL teams will bid for him in the upcoming auction for the 2023 season.
. Kolkata Knight Riders
The Shreyas Iyer-led side is expected to bid for Cameron Green in the auction for the 2023 season. Kolkata Knight Riders had a forgettable 2022 season where they finished at the number 7 position, struggling both with the bat and ball throughout the season.
As a result, they have released 16 players from their squad so we can expect them to go for an all-around option like Green who can make an impact both with the bat and ball.
One of the biggest issues for KKR in the 2022 season was their opening combination and Green can be an ideal fit for that position and can provide the explosiveness and the international quality that KKR requires at the top of the order. He can also be a long-term replacement for Andre Russell as the Jamaican all-rounder is prone to injuries and is now moving toward the wrong side of his 30s.
All these factors make Cameron Green a good long-term option for KKR but KKR might struggle with the lack of funds to buy the all-rounder as he is expected to be in very high demand in the auction.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad is another team that would be looking to grab Cameron Green for the 2023 season. Sunrisers have been struggling for the last two seasons and now ahead of the auction, they have released 12 players. The biggest release is their skipper, Kane Williamson and along with him, West Indian players like Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd have also been released
The release of these big-budget players has opened up a lot of funds for them and that can help them go hard for Cameron Green in the auction. Green can come into the side as a direct replacement for Kane Williamson and can form a lethal batting pair with young Abhishek Sharma. He also provides a balance with his all-around abilities and can turn out to be a huge asset for the Sunrisers.
. Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings are known to make a lot of changes to their squad almost after every season and going with the tradition, they have again released plenty of players ahead of the auction for the 2023 edition. They seem to have a settled opening combination but they can go for Green as a seam-bowling all-rounder who can bat in the middle order and provide that power in the middle.
They have released Odean Smith who was slotted last season to do that job. So, we might see Green doing that all-rounder’s job for them in the 2023 season, if they are able to acquire him in the auction. Kings already have a lot of firepower in the batting line-up and Green can boost that further but the most important thing is that he will provide a quality bowling option too and the much-needed balance to the team.
.Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL. However, they had a poor 2022 season and now with Dwayne Bravo retired, Cameron Green could turn out to be a good all-round option for CSK.
Like Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings also have a settled opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. So, Green can be a good option in the middle order which also needs some firepower with the waning capabilities of the likes of MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu. He can also provide that extra cushion with the ball for MS Dhoni and we might see Chennai Super Kings going hard at the auction to acquire the all-rounder.
Chennai Super Kings have also emphasized a lot on having all-rounders in their unit and we surely will see them targeting Cameron Green in the auction for the 2023 season.
. Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals had a very successful 2022 season where they ended up as the runners-up of the competition. However, throughout the season they struggled with their number 5 position and tried options like Rassie van der Dussen and Daryl Mitchell but they have been released now.
So, Cameron Green can be an ideal fit for the Royals in that middle-order spot and can at the same time provide Sanju Samson with an extra bowling option. If the Royals can bring in Green to fill that one spot in their team, then there will be very few teams that can match the quality of Rajasthan in the 2023 edition. The problem though for Rajasthan would be the lack of funds as they have 13.2 crores in their kitty at the moment and Green is expected to go very expensive in the auction.
Conclusion
These are the teams that are most likely to bid for Cameron Green in the upcoming auction for the 2023 season. However, it should not be a surprise if any other team also joins the pack given the quality of the Australian all-rounder.
His biggest quality is the flexibility he provides to the team as he can bat anywhere in the batting order and can accelerate or build his innings according to the requirements of the team. Along with batting, he is as good as any frontline bowler and that makes him a complete package. As of now, Sunrisers Hyderabad looks best placed to acquire the all-rounder as they have 42.25 crores left in their kitty and it will surely be quite exciting to see which team acquires the Australian all-rounder for the 2023 edition of the IPL.
