Indian T20 League 2023: Top 3 steal buys in the mini-auction for next season

 On 23 December, all teams of the Indian T20 League managed to buy their preferred players in the mini-auction in order to strengthen their squad for the next season. Several players like Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stokes made headlines by attracting expensive bids from different franchises.

However, there were some players on whom fans were expecting to see a tough bidding war. But, those players went for a very low price and fans of those respective franchises were over the moon after seeing that. As per performances, these players could have gone for more price for the next edition of the tournament.    

Here are the top three steal buys in the mini-auction for the Indian T20 League 2023:

Sikandar Raza, 50 Lakhs, Punjab

Sikandar Raza (Image Source: Twitter)

This star all-rounder from Zimbabwe was one of the names on whom all franchises kept an eye. Sikandar Raza has a great ability to bat in the middle order. While he can contribute with the ball also with his variations in spins. In the 20-20 World Cup 2022 also, he played a vital role in Zimbabwe’s journey. 

He was the highest run-scorer for his team in that tournament. Raza scored 219 runs in eight innings, at an average of 27.37. With the ball also, he took 10 wickets in eight matches, at an economy of 6.50. His base price was INR 50 Lakhs. No bidding war happened as only the Punjab franchise came up for the player and bought him at his base price. So, Punjab fans were happy to have him at such a low price for the next season of the Indian T20 League.

Samarth Vyas, 20 Lakhs, Hyderabad

Samarth Vyas (Image Source: Twitter)

This right-handed batter from Saurashtra made headlines in the domestic circuit for his excellent performances, especially in the white-ball format. Samarth Vyas impressed everyone when he scored 314 runs in seven innings, at an average of 52.33 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022/23. He batted at a staggering strike rate of 177.40.

In the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022/23 also, he scored 443 runs in 10 innings, at an average of 44.30. Vyas also smashed a double hundred in that tournament. He scored 200 runs off 131 balls, at a strike rate of 152.67 against Manipal. His base price was INR 20 Lakhs. But, Hyderabad did not find any challengers as they bought him for the Indian T20 League 2023 at the base price only.   

Nishant Sindhu, 60 Lakhs, Chennai

Nishant Sindhu (Image Source: Twitter)

This all-rounder from Haryana has shown great potential in recent tournaments. Nishant Sindhu had decent performances in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022/23, he scored 110 runs in five innings. While he managed to take five wickets in six innings, at an economy of 5.08.

In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022/23, Sindhu scored 90 runs in eight innings. While, he managed to take five wickets in six innings, at an economy of 6. So, his ability to bat at the middle order and to bowl left-arm orthodox deliveries was enough to attract the eye of the Chennai franchise. His base price was INR 20 Lakhs. But, Chennai managed to take him at just 60 Lakhs for the next edition of the Indian T20 League.