IPL 2023: Top 5 overseas all-rounders to watch out for
Indian Premier League 2023 began yesterday with Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in the opener at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Chennai Super Kings endured a poor season during IPL 2022 as they finished in ninth position with just six wins from 14 games.
But the squad for the upcoming edition is looking strong enough to mount a title challenge. They bought in English all-rounder Ben Stokes for a record INR 16.25 crore to add further quality to their star-studded all-round options. Stokes will be joining CSK’s all-round strength in form of Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Mitchell Santner, Shivam Dubey, Dwaine Pretorius, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Apart from Stokes, Cameron Green (to Mumbai Indians) and Sam Curran (to Punjab Kings) also fetched record deals during the IPL 2023 auction. All-rounders are always in demand and they will be more valuable this season ahead of the new impact player rule. So, let’s take a look at the top five overseas all-rounder to watch out for the IPL 2023.
Marco Jansen
Jansen was restricted to just eight appearances for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season where he took seven wickets and scored just nine runs. But the South African pace all-rounder has been top of his game lately, with 177 runs and eight wickets in the SA20 2023 for eventual champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He might struggle to feature in every game this season but is likely to make a big impact with his all-round skills.
Sam Curran
Sam Curran cost Punjab Kings record INR 18.50 crore in the auction so the player will be under a lot of pressure to provide worthy performances. Curran won the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2022 and has established himself as one of the best bowlers for the death overs.
Sikandar Raza
Raza enters the IPL 2023 after playing a big role in Lahore Qalandars’ triumph in Pakistan Super League 2023. He scored 223 runs from 11 innings at an average of 37.16 and will be looking to replicate same in the IPL. Raza brings a big experience of playing in franchise cricket and will be under the media scanner.
Matthew Short
Short joined the IPL 2023 as an injury replacement for Jonny Bairstow for Punjab Kings. He won the Player of the Tournament in Big Bash League 2022-23 for scoring 458 runs and taking 11 wickets for Adelaide Strikers. He will be competing against Sikandar Raza for the all-rounder spot for Punjab Kings in IPL 2023.
Michael Bracewell
He joined Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for injured all-rounder Will Jacks. Bracewell, spin all-rounder, is likely to play the very first game for RCB with Wanindu Hasaranga missing the game due to national team duties. Earlier this year, Bracewell smashed 140 off 78 against India in the first ODI and was excellent with a ball in the T20Is. So, RCB are likely to utilize his form and all-round skills in IPL 2023.
