Ben Stokes is the best all-rounder in world cricket in any format he plays. The Englishman has retired from ODI cricket but he is creating his legacy in Test and T20 cricket. The man for the big occasions once again brought out his best game when his team needed the most.
Despite having a mediocre T20 World Cup 2022, Ben Stokes scored a vital unbeaten fifty in the final against Pakistan to win the championship for his team. The all-rounder hasn’t been in the best of form lately in T20 cricket, but he will still walk into any T20 team on the planet.
Ben Stokes is destructive with the bat, bowls hostile medium-pace, and is a gun fielder as well. The Englishman missed the previous edition of the Indian Premier League but will be back in the auctions this time around. He is one of the most sought-after players in the mega league and the scenario is likely to remain the same this time as well.
While all ten franchises would want a player like Ben Stokes in their squad, not all would be able to afford him courtesy of the purse available. The English all-rounder is likely to be one of the two most expensive players in the mini-auctions, hence, the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore are not in the race to sign the all-rounder.
In this post, we will take a realistic look at the 3 teams that can target Ben Stokes in the mini-auction.
3. Mumbai Indians
It would not be a surprise if the Mumbai Indians try to sign Ben Stokes in the mini auction for the Indian Premier League 2023. After Keiron Pollard’s retirement, the five-time champions need a quality batting all-rounder in their middle order.
With Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Verma forming the top four, Ben Stokes could fit in at number five with Tim David to follow. Suddenly, Mumbai Indians will become a fearsome batting unit. Mumbai Indians have INR 20.55 crore left in their purse.
They have nine slots to fill, including three overseas slots. If Mumbai Indians can get Ben Stokes inside INR 12-13 crore, they can look to fill two overseas slots and the rest of the backups with Indian domestic players from the remaining amount.
