IPL 2023: 5 teams that will target Rilee Rossouw in mini-auction

Rilee Rossouw, one of South Africa’s finest white-ball players has once again grabbed headlines after his return to international cricket in 2022 after six years. In the last few years, he played for Hampshire and Somerset through a Kolpak deal. In T20 Blast 2022, Rossouw slammed 623 runs in 16 innings at a lavish strike rate of 192.28, and was drafted into the national T20I squad.

Since his return, the 33-year-old has amassed 372 runs in 10 T20I innings at an average of 46.50, while also scoring tons against India and Bangladesh. With an ability to play big innings, the southpaw is expected to be a hot property in the IPL 2023 mini-auction. Here are a few franchises that are expected to take interest in Rossouw.

1. Royal Challengers Bangalore

Rilee Rossouw played in the IPL 2014 and 2015 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He could score only 53 runs in five appearances for the side. However, he plays the same brand of cricket as the RCB and can be a perfect addition to the squad.

At present, the team consists of overseas batters in form of Faf Du Plessis, Finn Allen and Glenn Maxwell. In the bowling unit, David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood mark their presence in the side. Currently, Maxwell is enduring a leg injury, which has ruled him out for two-three months. In this regard, Rossouw can be a backup player for Maxwell, if the management want to be on the safer side.

Also, the team failed to find the right opening combination. After dropping Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli opened with Faf du Plessis. Nevertheless, the left-right combination has proved to be advantageous for many teams, and Rossouw can play as an opener or middle-order batter.

2. SunRisers Hyderabad

SunRisers Hyderabad is expected to change their strategy and rather opt for explosive batting options in the mini-auction. They let go of their captain Kane Williamson, while also announcing the shock release of Nicholas Pooran, who played a key role in franchise victories in 2022. But, the hefty amount of Pooran must have been the key reason for the franchise to arrive at this decision.

With Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma as the openers, the franchise would be looking to find the right overseas batter, who can play the role of an aggressor along with Aiden Markram. The Kiwi batter Glenn Phillips can bat at number five, and is in sublime form as well. Further, the team has released Romario Shepherd and Sean Abbott, and have four overseas slots to fill in the upcoming auction.

SRH can certainly bank on securing services of top T20 foreign batters/all-rounders, with the presence of quality Indian bowling unit. The likes of T. Natarajan, Umran Malik, Washington Sundar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar already form a potent bowling attack.

3. Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings have an explosive line-up in terms of overseas as well as Indian batters. The likes of Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow are the overseas batters, while Shikhar Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan and Jitesh Sharma are the Indian batters. However, apart from Dhawan, none of the batters are left-handed.

The one-dimensionality in the batting attack certainly pushed back Kings hopes of qualifying for the playoffs in 2022. It makes it easy for the bowlers to follow the same plans/tactics to a right-hander, and contain runs for the team.

The addition of Rossouw can bring another left-hander to the XI, with the same mindset as the Punjab line-up as well. He can be preferred over Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who has been inconsistent in the last few months. Further, the team has Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada and Rishi Dhawan as the bowling line-up, and can opt for three overseas batters.

4. Lucknow Super Giants

In their debut season, Lucknow Super Giants had a successful campaign, wherein they secured a place in the playoffs. The opening pair of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock were in sublime form and led from the front. However, the middle-order trouble was evident in a few games.

After the dismissals of Rahul and Quinton, the team did not look potent enough to post a strong score. Although Deepak Hooda was consistent, Ayush Badoni and Marcus Stoinis didn’t fire enough in the slog overs.

With the release of experienced batters like Evin Lewis and Manish Pandey, the franchise would look to find able top-order replacements for both players. They will be looking to find a suitable No.3/ No.4 who can play an anchor role or strike from the word go.

5. Kolkata Knight Riders

After an average IPL 2022 season, Kolkata Knight Riders decided to release their non-performers Aaron Finch and Ajinkya Rahane. Both batters were inefficient at the top-order, which put the middle order under the pump.

Moreover, the likes of Sam Billings and Alex Hales have made themselves unavailable for the 2023 season. They have traded Lockie Ferguson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Titans, while Tim Southee, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are the overseas players.

The team is in dire need of a quality overseas batter, who can bat at the top-order, alongside Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana. In this regard, Rossouw is the right candidate for the remaining three overseas spots for the franchise.