IPL 2023 Auction: Kochi all set for ultimate 'mini' battle

Tucked in the corner of the city, the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Bolgatty region of Kochi is all set to host the IPL mini-auction on December 23. The preparations were in full swing on eve of the big day and franchise owners, coaches and other support staff started checking in as early as 12 PM in the day.

Sporting an all-black, KKR CEO and MD Venky Mysore was one of the early birds and was soon joined by head coach Chandrakant Pandit and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Excitement was in the air and the lobby of the plush hotel was buzzing with activity. Just when the sun was setting and pleasant evening breeze was taking over, in walked a familiar face. Fitter than ever, former India cricketer S Sreesanth made his way to the balcony and pleasantly greeted the handful media personnel. Bulging biceps, tucker hat and sunglasses completed one of India’s biggest on-field entertainers look who seemed in a hurry to meet his former teammate and now Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra.

Kochi applying final touches ahead of the #IPL2023Auction @cricketnext pic.twitter.com/ZsWMhCSiQa

— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) December 22, 2022

Nehra ji is in town since a couple of days and marathon discussions and planning has been underway in defending champions GT’s camp. The second new team of last season Lucknow Super Giants too had long meetings through the day. The likes of Gautam Gambhir, Andy Flower, Vijay Dahiya are expected to be at the auction table on Friday.

Strategies in place :), RR CEO @JakeLushMcCrum settles down for some video content with a picturesque backdrop. #IPL2023Auction #IPLMiniAuction #RajasthanRoyals @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/LgWBB53ugC

— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) December 22, 2022

A day before the teams engage in ultimate battle of picking the right talent at the right price, it was all fun and games as they crossed each other’s paths in the hotel lobby. Meet and greets were the flavour of a very busy day but the news of the auction, on the unexpected lines, has not spread like fire in this part of the country.

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“What is happening here?” asked a middle-aged lady who had her two kids for company in the hotel’s Christmas shop. “Oh, is the IPL auction? Which player is coming? Where can we watch it?” came the questions one after the another, leaving no window to even squeeze a quick nod.

Most of the regular guests of the hotel coffee shop didn’t seem to care about what was happening around them and were content with their cup, and a beautiful sunset.

Later in the evening, intensity of the wind and arrivals picked up and prominent figures like BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, who had reached in the afternoon, were spotted.

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The IPL auction briefing then took place and Mike Hesson (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Kumar Sangakkara (Rajasthan Royals), Trevor Bayliss (Punjab Kings), Pragyan Ojha (IPL Governing Council Member) and Venky Mysore (KKR CEO and MD) were seen with support staff of their respective teams.

Delhi Capitals co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi was the last to check-in on eve of the auction and he was quick to rush upstairs after a quick hello to the content & communications team of the franchise.

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No one from the Mumbai Indians was in yet and the think-tank of the most successful team in history of the competition is expected to touch base on day of the auction. Again, there is no confirmation or clarity on their time of arrival.

After a very chilled out day, serious business will take centre stage when 405 players will be up for grabs. There has been just one change in the list as Australia’s Ben McDermott has withdrawn his application and on one of the franchise’s request, uncapped Shashank Singh has been added to the shortlist.

The first few sets – capped batters and all-rounders – is where most action is expected. The stocks of Ben Stokes, Cameron Green and Sam Curran have been riding the upward curve and the trio look the favourite to attract some of the biggest bids on the day.

Also Read | Auction strategies of all teams

The uncapped set too will keep a lot of teams interested as smart buys are likely to be the flavour of the day for teams sitting with a thinner purse. The ones like SRH and Punjab Kings, with a fat purse, it will be a shopping spree of sorts as they look to rebuild the squad under new skippers respectively.

Of the 405 shortlisted, only 87 will find IPL teams for the upcoming edition. Out of the 87 spots, upto 30 have been slotted for foreign players. It will be celebrations for some and heartbreak for most, but the fans glued to the action are in for an entertaining day where principles of demand and supply will go for a toss.

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