IPL 2023 Auction: Is Ben Stokes putting his name up?

The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) preparations will likely get underway from next month, with the player auction expected to take place at an undecided venue. While this would be a mini-auction, unlike the mega auction last year, some top players would still be up for grabs, with certain franchises looking to reshuffle their squad. And, if reports are deemed accurate, English Test skipper-cum-all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to be a part of the auction, as he is looking to put up his name in the same, having decided against playing in IPL 2022. His last IPL team was former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR), while in his previous IPL outing in 2021, he played just a contest before getting injured.

Since taking up the Test leadership role for England, he has been watchful in terms of workload and also retired from the One-Day Internationals (ODIs), terming playing all three formats as "unsustainable". As per Cricbuzz, Stokes could be interested in playing IPL 2023, even though The Ashes occurs in England right after the tournament concludes.

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The Ashes is scheduled to begin on June 16, while the IPL is slated to run between May and June. Consequently, the franchises would be watchful of having English and Australian players on their sides. The report adds that the underperforming franchises are expected to release a few such players before the auction.

Recently, Punjab Kings (PBKS) dropped opener Mayank Agarwal as the skipper and bestowed the role on veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan. The franchise will likely be releasing the former skipper, who is worth ₹12 crore, along with all-rounders Shahrukh Khan (₹9 crore), and Odean Smith (₹6 crore), to facilitate a more oversized purse while entering the auction.