The much-awaited players’ auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is just a day away, and the franchises have explored all options to bolster their squads. Many big players will be seen during the bidding event, and one of them would be former England Test captain Joe Root, who has registered his name for the auction.
Notably, Root did feature in the 2018 auction but could not attract offers and went unsold. Root last appeared in a T20I series in 2019 and was not part of the previous two T20 World Cup squads for 2021 and 2022. He has played in some domestic tournaments like the T20 Blast, the Hundred, and the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Sydney Thunder in 2018-19.
Root will be hoping to get picked by any of the ten franchise. On that note, let’s have a look at three teams that can target Root in the upcoming auction.
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
After releasing Kane Williamson, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be looking for a quality skipper for the upcoming season, and Root can fill that spot. Root has plenty of experience, and just like former skipper Kane, Root s also famous for his calmness and composure.
Notably, the Kavya Maran-owned Sunrisers have the maximum amount of money, with INR 42.25 crores remaining in their purse. Since SRH do not have reliable candidates for the leadership role, they are most likely to go for Root in the auction.
Punjab Kings:
Like the Sunrisers, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will also be in need of a captain as they have released their skipper Mayank Agarwal. The right-handed batter had a terrible time with the willow in the previous season, scoring only 196 runs from 13 matches.
Kings would be eyeing a suitable replacement for Mayank in the new season, and Root, having experience of batting in the middle order, could be a perfect choice. Further, Punjab have the second highest purse (INR 32.2 crores) left, which can help them explore options.
Lucknow Super Giants:
Unlike SRH and PBKS, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) don’t have to worry about finding a leader as they are already blessed with KL Rahul’s services. The Lucknow team had a tremendous season earlier this year and would be looking for solutions for their area of concern exposed in IPL 2022.
While the captaincy department was fine with LSG, the inexperienced middle order was their biggest cause of concern last season. The Lucknow team will eye an experienced campaigner, and Root could be the ideal candidate. Notably, after releasing Manish Pandey and Evin Lewis, LSG will certainly look to boost their middle order.