Many of the teams' releases followed predicted lines, although a couple of them were unexpected. Let us look at three of the unexpected releases.
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The IPL auction 2023 is set to take place on December 23 in Kochi. Franchises had until November 15 to submit their retention list ahead of the much-anticipated event. All of the teams have made their moves and named the players who will be part of their plans moving forward. Franchises including the Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kolkata Knight Riders have released more than 10 players each ahead of the next auction, whereas other clubs have kept the majority of their players intact. Many of the teams’ releases followed predicted lines, although a couple of them were unexpected. Let us look at three of the unexpected releases.
At the last mega auction, Lucknow Super Giants went hammer and tongs to recruit Holder, eventually paying 8.75 crores. The outstanding all-rounder appeared in 12 games for his new team, taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 9.42. He also had a strike rate of 131.82 while scoring 58 runs. Though Holder could not meet his high expectations, he performed a good job with both the bat and the ball. As a result, his departure from LSG for the upcoming season came as quite a surprise. Furthermore, his ability to bowl at any stage of the game and perform critical cameos lower down the order makes him a valuable asset to any team. It would be interesting to see which franchise goes for him in the mini-auction.
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When PBKS chose to release its ace batter, who had been their number one retention the previous season, it came as quite a surprise. Mayank has amassed 2327 runs in 113 games with a strike rate of 134.28, making him one of the most prolific run-getters in the history of the lucrative T20 league. As a result, his departure from the Punjab franchise was unexpected. The Punjab Kings had retained Mayank Agarwal as their captain for the 15th season of the Indian Premier League. PBKS had a strong squad, but the 31-year-old was unable to lead his team to the playoffs, as Punjab won seven of 14 games.
The Rajasthan Royals signed the New Zealand-born batter in the 2022 mega auction to bolster their squad. Despite the fact that Mitchell scored 33 runs in two games last season, the seam-bowling all-departure rounder was not planned. Mitchell has been in excellent form this year, scoring 374 runs in 14 Twenty20 Internationals at a strike rate of 144.96. Furthermore, his ability to bat at both the top and middle of the order lends versatility to any team. It would be interesting to see if RR buys him back in the auction as he cost them just 75 lacks.
