IPL 2023: 5 Teams that might pick Nicholas Pooran at auction

Nicholas Pooran has been a proven performer in the T20 circuit. He has featured in 256 games in the shortest format and amassed 4942 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 141.15. The 27-year-old has also done well in the international arena and scored 1427 runs in 72 T20Is at a strike rate of 129.02. The wicketkeeper-batter has the ability to take the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and has dismantled top-drawer bowling line-ups with his swashbuckling stroke play. Pooran has displayed his batting might in the Indian Premier League as well and smashed 912 runs in 47 matches at a stunning strike rate of 151.24. The West Indies batter will go under the hammer at the IPL 2023 auction and has kept himself in the INR 2 crore bracket. Pooran is a match-winner with the bat and many franchises might target him at the marquee event. Here we look at the five teams that might pick Nicholas Pooran at auction: 5. Lucknow Super Giants Lucknow Super Giants played some fantastic cricket in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league and qualified for the playoffs. LSG had a lot of positives in their debut season but a few of their T20 stars such as Manish Pandey and Evin Lewis failed to deliver the goods with the bat. Manish made six appearances for the Lucknow franchise and could only score 88 runs at a strike rate of 110.00. Lewis, on the other hand, managed to score just 73 runs in six games. Following the mediocre performances of the ace batters, the team management decided to move past them. With the duo released, LSG are likely to enter the auction seeking quality batters and they could look to include Pooran. The Trinidad-born has been a match-winner with the bat and has proven his mettle in the T20 circuit time and time again. Therefore, Lucknow bidding for the wicketkeeper-batter is on the cards. 4. Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad had a dismal campaign in the 2022 season of the lucrative T20 tournament and finished the league stage at the eighth position with six wins in 14 games. In a bid to revamp their squad, the Hyderabad franchise let go of 12 players, which surprisingly included Pooran. SRH went hammer and tongs to sign the 27-year-old at the 2022 mega auction and acquired him at a whopping sum of INR 10.75 crore. Pooran did a decent job with the bat and smashed 306 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 144.34. Thus, it came as a shock when the West Indies batter was released from the team. However, Hyderabad’s ploy to part ways with Pooran could be due to his hefty price tag. And if the wicketkeeper-batter is available at an affordable price, SRH might raise their paddle to sign him at the IPL 2023 auction. Moreover, the 27-year-old has been in good nick of late, having smashed 345 runs in 10 games at the Abu Dhabi T10 League, that too at a stunning strike rate of 234.69. Thus, the Hyderabad franchise could be tempted to reinvest in him for the upcoming season. 3. Gujarat Titans In the 15th IPL edition, Gujarat Titans wrote their names in the history books by winning the tournament in their debut season itself. As the Gujarat franchise bid to defend their crown in 2023, they have backed the majority of their players to come good and parted ways with only five of them. Wriddhiman Saha was Gujarat’s first-choice keeper last season and fared decently with the bat scoring 317 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 122.39. However, the 38-year-old is in the twilight of his career and so GT could ponder over adding a keeper batter to their arsenal. Though Gujarat also have the services of Matthew Wade, he had an awful outing in the 2022 season of the cash-rich league, scoring just 157 runs in ten matches at a strike rate of 113.77. So, the Gujarat management could look to pick someone like Pooran, who is a game-changer with the bat and is quite safe behind the stumps. 2. Punjab Kings Punjab Kings had yet another miserable campaign as they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive time. PBKS stuttered at crucial junctures of the competition and ended the league stage in the sixth position, with seven wins in 14 matches. However, in a rather disappointing campaign, one of the positives for the Punjab side was their fearless brand of cricket. PBKS took the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and put the opposition under the pump. It does seem that Punjab will adhere to an aggressive batting approach going forward as they have appointed Trevor Bayliss as their new head coach. As Punjab bid to play the bazball way, they would need more players who could embody the same. Therefore, they might look to include someone like Pooran, who has the ability to take down bowling attacks from ball one. Hence, one might witness PBKS make a bid for the West Indian batter at the forthcoming auction. 1. Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata Knight Riders were far from their best in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. They failed to string consecutive wins under their belt and had to remain content with the seventh position. Following an awful campaign, KKR parted ways with 16 players from the squad. Presently, Kolkata only have the services of Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the wicketkeeping front and so, they are likely to go fishing for top-quality keeper batters at the upcoming auction. Therefore, Shreyas Iyer & co. could look to add Pooran to their roster. KKR went all guns blazing to sign the West Indies batter at the 2022 mega auction but Sunrisers Hyderabad outbid them at that time. Given Pooran is also part of their CPL-owned franchise Trinbago Knight Riders, Kolkata could be inclined towards investing in him for the upcoming IPL season. Thus, Iyer & co. might target the 27-year-old at the auction.

IPL 2023: 5 Teams that might pick Nicholas Pooran at auction

Nicholas Pooran has been a proven performer in the shortest format of the game.

3. Gujarat Titans