IPL 2023: 5 franchises that might target Jason Holder at auction

Jason Holder has been a proven performer in the T20 circuit. The Barbados-born has featured in 200 matches in the shortest format and picked up 197 wickets at an economy of 7.86. On the batting front, he has scored 1758 runs at a strike rate of 126.38. The 31-year-old has also displayed his all-round prowess in the international arena. He has bagged 51 wickets in 49 T20Is at an economy of 8.17 and scored 385 runs at a strike rate of 120.68. Lucknow Super Giants went all guns blazing to sign the West Indies all-rounder at the 2022 mega auction and eventually grabbed him for INR 8.75 crore. Holder played 12 games for Lucknow and took 14 wickets at an economy of 9.42. On the batting front, he scored 58 runs at a strike rate of 131.82. Given the ace all-rounder was not able to perform as per his lofty standards, Lucknow released him from their squad. So, Holder will go under the hammer at the IPL 2023 auction. He brings balance to the side due to his all-round prowess and many franchises could be eager to pick him at the upcoming marquee event. Here are five franchises that might target Jason Holder at auction: 5. Punjab Kings Punjab Kings assembled a power-packed side for the 2022 season, comprising many match-winners of the T20 arena. However, they did not pick many multi-faceted players for their team. PBKS signed Odean Smith to fill the all-round void in the team but the West Indies all-rounder was not able to deliver the goods, be it with the ball or bat. The 26-year-old could manage only 51 runs in six games and leaked runs at an alarming rate of 11.87. Punjab had invested a staggering sum of INR 6 crore at the 2022 mega auction for Odean and would have expected more from him. Therefore, the team management parted ways with the Jamaica-born ahead of the IPL 2023 player auction. Presently PBKS does not have a gun all-rounder in their team. Though they have stuck with Rishi Dhawan to add depth to the side, the 32-year-old was awful with the bat last season scoring 37 runs at a strike rate of 92.50. Therefore, it is highly likely that PBKS would go shopping for top-drawer all-rounders at the upcoming player auction and the think tank could look at Holder, who has been a consistent performer in the lucrative T20 tournament. The West Indies all-rounder has bagged 49 wickets in 38 matches and scored 247 runs at a strike rate of 124.12. So, he could be the answer to Punjab’s all-round woes going ahead. Thus, Shikhar Dhawan & co. might try to pick Holder at the auction. 4. Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad went all guns blazing at the previous IPL auction for Romario Shepherd and eventually grabbed him at a whopping sum of INR 7.75 crore. However, the ace all-rounder was not able to set the stage ablaze with his performances. Though the 28-year-old did a decent job with the bat, smashing 58 runs in three games at a strike rate of 141.46, he had a poor showing on the bowling front, leaking runs at an economy of 10.89. Following Shepherd’s mediocre outings, the Hyderabad franchise released him from their squad. Hyderabad lacks seam bowling all-rounders in their team and so, they can target Holder who has been a consistent performer for them in the past. The 31-year-old has bagged 31 wickets in 16 games for SRH and also smashed 167 runs at a decent strike rate. Thus, Hyderabad could break their bank to sign the West Indies all-rounder at the auction. 3. Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians were far from their best in the 15th edition of the lucrative T20 tournament and ended the league stage as the wooden-spoon holders with just four wins under their belt. One of the reasons for a dismal season was the poor showing of the multi-faceted cricketers. MI signed Daniel Sams at the 2022 mega auction to contribute in both departments. Sams did a decent job on the bowling front, picking 13 scalps in 11 games at an economy of 8.81, however, he was awful with the bat, scoring a mere 38 runs at a strike rate of 105.56. Kieron Pollard’s dwindling returns did not help either as the legendary cricketer could only score 144 runs in 11 games at a poor strike rate of 107.46 and took four wickets for the side. Ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, Mumbai have moved past Sams while Pollard has hung his boots from the cash-rich league. With the exit of the overseas duo, MI would need to fill the all-rounder void in the team and the five-time IPL champions could be inclined towards adding Holder, who has been a match-winner in the shortest format with both bat and ball. 2. Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals had a phenomenal campaign at the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League and finished in the runners-up position. However, Sanju Samson & co. struggled to find the right balance for their team throughout the season. The squad had many top-drawer batters and bowlers but lacked all-round options. Further, James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell, the overseas all-rounders in the team, did not impress with their performances. Neesham could manage 31 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 114.81 and was not able to have any impact with the ball. Mitchell, on the other hand, scored mere 33 runs in two games at a strike rate of 75.00. As the Kiwi all-rounders failed to make the most of the opportunities, the team management decided against retaining them. With the release of the duo, RR are expected to go fishing for seam-bowling all-rounders at the upcoming player auction and they could to interested in someone like Holder. The West Indies all-rounder has the ability to bowl in any phase of the game and is more than handy with the bat. Holder is an asset to any side and Rajasthan could raise their paddle to sign him at the forthcoming auction. 1. Chennai Super Kings Dwayne Bravo has been a giant of a player in the IPL arena. He has bagged 183 wickets in 161 games at an economy of 8.38 and scored 1560 runs at a strike rate of 129.57. The veteran all-rounder was an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2011, barring the season 2016 and 2017 when the Chennai franchise was banned from the cash-rich league. Bravo was skipper MS Dhoni’s go-to man with the ball at the death overs and delivered on most occasions. However, the think tank decided to move past the 39-year-old and did not retain him for the next IPL edition. Following the exit from CSK, the Trinidad-born announced his retirement from the lucrative T20 tournament and will don the bowling coach’s hat for the Chennai side going forward. As CSK head into the upcoming player auction, they will have a Bravo-sized hole to fill in the squad. The team management could ponder over picking Holder at the marquee event. The 31-year-old has shown his all-round might on the big stage time and time again and is an experienced campaigner in the T20 arena. He could be a valuable addition to a side and therefore, the Chennai franchise might go hammer and tongs to sign the all-rounder at the auction.

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IPL 2023: 5 franchises that might target Jason Holder at auction

Jason Holder has been a proven performer in the Indian Premier League.

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad

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