Indian T20 League 2023: Top 5 overseas players to play in the tournament for the first time

On 23 December 2022, all franchises of the Indian T20 League participated in the mini-auction. Already, these teams submitted their final list of retained and released players to the Board on 15 December. So, all of them were looking to add more firepower to their squad for the next season.

However, all teams managed to add more quality players to their squads. Sam Curran went to Punjab, Cameron Green went to Mumbai, and Ben Stokes went to Chennai. These three players were the most expensive players in this auction. But, there are some players who finally managed to bag a maiden Indian T20 League this time around.      

Here are the top five overseas players who are going to play the Indian T20 League for the first time in 2023:

Cameron Green

Cameron Green (Image Source: Twitter)

This Aussie all-rounder made headlines during the three-match T20I series in India. Cameron Green was the highest scorer with 118 runs, at an average of 39.33 but with a staggering strike rate of 214.54. In the last match of the series, he scored the fastest fifty against India in just 19 balls.

So, in the auction, all eyes were on this star all-rounder. Meanwhile, his base price was INR 2 Crores. Different franchises like Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi got involved in a bidding war for him. Finally, Mumbai managed to add him to their squad for a whopping amount of INR 17.50 Crores for the next season. Thus, he became the second most expensive player in the history of the Indian T20 League.  

Harry Brook

Harry Brook (Image Source: Twitter)

This England star batter has impressed everyone so far with his hitting abilities in the middle order. Before the 20-20 World Cup 2022, England played a seven-match T20I series in Pakistan. In that series, Harry Brook was the highest run-scorer with 238 runs in six innings, at an average of 79.33 and at a staggering strike rate of 163.01.

Even, in the Test series in Pakistan, he managed to score three quickfire hundreds. So, all fans were expecting a bidding war for this star batter. His base price was INR 1.5 Crores. Franchises like Rajasthan, Bangalore, and Hyderabad got involved in a bidding war and finally, Hyderabad paid 13.25 Crores to buy Harry Brook for the Indian T20 League.  

Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza (Image Source: Twitter)

This star all-rounder from Zimbabwe has impressed everyone in recent series and tournaments. In the 20-20 World Cup 2022, Sikandar Raza was the highest run-scorer for his team. He 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.

So, fans were expecting him to come out as one of the surprising bids for the next season. His base price was INR 50 Lakhs. Only the Punjab franchise came up for the player and bought him at his base price for the Indian T20 League 2023. Speaking of his career, Raza has played 66 T20Is where he has scored 1259 runs in 63 innings, at an average of 20.98.  

Joe Root

Joe Root (Image Source: Twitter)

This star batter of England is finally going to play in the Indian T20 League 2023. For England, Joe Root has played 32 T20Is so far where he has scored 893 runs, at an average of 35.72 and a strike rate of 126.30. However, he last played in a T20I in 2019. Therefore, he put his name with the hope to get a franchise for the next season. 

Before the auction, Root expressed that playing in the Indian T20 League can help in improving his game in the shortest format. His base price was INR 1 Crore. In the first round, no teams showed any interest in the star batter and he went unsold. But, in the second accelerated round, Rajasthan bought him for the base price.   

Litton Das

Litton Das (Image Source: Twitter)

This star batter from Bangladesh impressed everyone so far with his ability to play freely, especially in the T20 format. In the 20-20 World Cup 2022, Bangladesh took on India. In that match, Litton Das scored a quickfire 60 runs off 27 balls, at a strike rate of 222.22 including seven fours and three sixes.

So, fans were hoping for him to bag his maiden Indian T20 League contract this time around. His base price was INR 50 Lakhs. However, in the first round, he failed to get a single bidder and went unsold. But, in the second accelerated round, Kolkata bought the Bangladesh batter for the base price.