The 16th season of the Indian Premier League is now in full swing. The IPL 2023 auction is scheduled to take place in Kochi on December 23. The major event will present the franchises with a chance to strengthen their squads and grow into better versions of themselves.
On Tuesday (November 15), the franchises announced the IPL retentions and releases, and some of the decisions did come as a surprise to many fans. Since they set the tone for the innings, openers frequently hold a distinctive place in the auctions and are in high demand all the time.
With many of the openers released by their team during the IPL 2023 trade window. Let’s take a look at three of the big opener names that were released who can get high bids during the IPL 2023 mini-auction.
Mayank Agarwal
One of the unexpected releases prior to the IPL Auction 2023 was Mayank Agarwal, and the talented batter is expected to fetch a high price in the mini-auction. The right-hander who led the Punjab team last season managed just 196 runs in 12 innings, averaging 16.33 and striking out at a rate of 122.50, which wasn’t enough to justify his INR 12 Crores price tag.
A few weeks ago, Punjab named Shikhar Dhawan as their new captain after Agarwal’s leadership failed to help the team succeed. Agarwal really had two excellent IPL seasons in 2020 and 2021 while opening alongside KL Rahul, but he fell short of the hype in IPL 2022.
Evin Lewis
Evin Lewis was included in the long list of West Indian cricket players who were released. The Lucknow Super Giants paid INR 2 Crore to get the left-hander, who is one of the most destructive batters in the league.
Lewis can certainly make an impression with his six-hitting skills, despite his recent performance in the T20 World Cup 2022 suffering a setback.
He adds a left-hander option at the top and, with his muscular build, can easily clear the ropes in Indian conditions. Even if he is not in the starting XI, the teams will undoubtedly be interested in adding him to their lineup for the IPL 2023 Auction because he may be a solid backup opener.
Jason Roy
The Gujarat Titans purchased Jason Roy for his base price of INR 2 Crore during the IPL 2022 auction. However, Roy withdrew from the competition due to personal obligations and was unable to participate. Gujarat Titans have since released him ahead of the IPL 2023 Auction.
In his 13 innings, Roy, who has previously played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Delhi franchise, has done a respectable job, amassing 329 runs at an average of 29.91. It will only be a matter of time before he joins the party in the lucrative event because his T20I strike is greater than his IPL strike rate.
Also Read: IPL 2023 Mini Auction: List Of All Released Players From All 10 Franchises
