Lucknow to bid for Ben Stokes, Chennai will go after Sam Curran, predicts Ashwin ahead of IPL 2023 Auction: Indian veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin has made a few bold statements regarding the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises and their probable targets in the upcoming IPL 2023 Auction. He anticipates Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to go after all-rounder Ben Stokes, while he claimed CSK will be interested in the services of Sam Curran.
The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Auction is scheduled to be held on 23rd December in Kochin. Although the event will see multiple big players go under the hammer for the bidding, the limelight will be on the likes of Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Cameron Green, who have drawn the attention of several IPL teams.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be keen to get Ben Stokes from the auction table. The all-rounder has been simply outstanding with his performance in T20 cricket. His recent outing in the T20 World Cup 2022 highly advocates his skill set and prowess, which will come in handy in the IPL.
“Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will definitely go for Ben Stokes. Only if they don’t get him, they will go for other players,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his Youtube channel.
Notably, LSG has let go of Jason Holder, who was picked during IPL 2022 auction for INR 8.75 Crores. The franchise has a total of INR 23.35 Cr of purse value to spend on players during the IPL 2023 auction.
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CSK likely to bid for Sam Curran & Nicholas Pooran in IPL 2023 Auction
Meanwhile, Ashwin also predicted that his former franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will try to pick Sam Curran from the auction table.
The English all-rounder has garnered praise from all quarters of the globe for his exceptional performance in the recently held T20 World Cup 2022. Curran won the Player of the Tournament award for his outstanding gameplay throughout the tournament.
R Ashwin, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, believes CSK will have a go at Ben Stokes and Cameron Green as well if they fail to fetch Sam Curran in the first place from the auction table.
“CSK will go for Sam Curran from the Marquee list. They won’t get him. They will go all-out on Ben Stokes as well. They won’t get him as well. They will also go for Cameron Green,” said the 36-year-old.
Further, the 36-year-old spinner added that CSK might also be interested in the skills of Nicholas Pooran, who has been released by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. The Caribbean wicketkeeper batter didn’t have a memorable outing in the IPL 2022, but he is showing his class once again in the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 league.
“I feel as a second keeper, an explosive left-hander, I know he didn’t play well last year but I feel he will go for a good price, Nicholas Pooran. His resale value will be really high,” said Ashwin.
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