IPL 2023: 5 teams that might target Daryl Mitchell at auction

Daryl Mitchell has emerged to be the key player for New Zealand in the last few years. His experience and calmness came to fore in the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-finals, when he slammed 72* off 47 against England and his innings paved the way for the Kiwi team to reach the finals of the showpiece event.

Earlier this year, Mitchell returned as the best batter in the Test series against England with 538 runs in six innings, with three centuries to his name. In the 2022 edition of the IPL, the 31-year-old could score only 27 runs in two innings for Rajasthan Royals. As a result, he has been released ahead of the IPL auction. However, there will be a few teams who might want to avail services of Mitchell in different capacities.

1. Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings released their skipper Mayank Agarwal ahead of the mini-auction, which has freed the space in the top as well as the middle-order. The new skipper Shikhar Dhawan opened along with Jonny Bairstow in PBKS’s last league match of IPL 2022. Mitchell and Bairstow have a track record to contribute at every position in international cricket.

The franchise can try to play both individuals at the opening slot if one of them fails and continue the left-right combination as well. With the presence of strikers like Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan and Jitesh Sharma in the middle-order, PBKS needs a player like Mitchell, who can play an anchor role to ensure the team posts quality totals.

In the last edition, PBKS played with an attacking mindset, which was obviously their natural game. But, they were dismissed early in a few of the matches by throwing away their wickets in clusters. Therefore, Mitchell’s inclusion can help them stabilize their innings.