Ben Stokes in IPL Auction 2023: Which team will bid for the England all-rounder

Add as a preferred source on Google

After skipping IPL 2022, England Test captain Ben Stokes will be back in action at the Indian Premier League as the star all-rounder has registered his name for the upcoming IPL 2023 Auction.

A total of 405 players will be auctioned and among them, 273 players are from India, while 132 are from overseas. With up to 87 slots including a maximum of 30 overseas slot to be filled, all the franchises will be ready with their analysis of players to bid for.

Like every edition, All-rounders will be in demand and players like Sam Curran, Stokes, Sikandar Raza, Shakib Al Hasan and Cameron Green are the ones that are likely to attract big bids.

With Stokes returning to the pool, all the franchises will be keen on the England star, but only a few can afford to land him in the mini auction, which is set to take place in Kochi on December 23.

While Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders are unlikely to move for the England star all-rounder due to budget limitations, the likes of Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, who will be keen on Curran, will have a dilemma for overseas slots.

Defending champions Gujarat Giants can afford to land him, but their head coach has revealed the franchise will target fast bowlers after releasing Lockie Ferguson. So, that leaves us with four options.

The first option also can be ruled out as Mumbai Indians can't afford to go overboard after their average auction last season. Then that leaves it as a battle of three teams for the England all-rounder, who also brings captaincy ability with him.

Three-way battle for Ben Stokes

Stokes, who has played in 43 matches across five seasons of IPL, was bought by Rising Pune Supergiants for Rs 14.50 Crore in 2017. The owners of the defunct Pune-based franchise are the current owners of Lucknow Super Giants, who are very likely to bid for Stokes' return.

With the release of Jason Holder, Dushmanta Chameera and Evin Lewis, LSG have slots left, and could use Stokes to take up one of the slots. But with a maximum of 9 slots left to fill and Marcus Stoinis playing the all-rounder role, LSG may use their funds to address other areas.

So, that makes LSG owners' move for Stokes a little doubtful. But they will still lift the paddle for the player, who they broke the bank for in the past.

Can Punjab Kings afford him? Yes, they can. But do they have the slots remaining? Yes, they have three overseas slots left and a maximum of 9 slots to fill.

With the release of Odean Smith, PBKS surely have a slot for Stokes, but will need to play him in place of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who did well for them last season. The other three overseas options for PBKS are Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow and Kagiso Rabada.

What about the team with the biggest purse heading into the auction? Sunrisers Hyderabad will definitely be the team that will go after Stokes following the release of their skipper Kane Williamson. So, the England all-rounder will very likely be representing the Orange Army next season.