'They will go for other players only if they don't get him': R Ashwin predicts Ben Stokes' destination in IPL 2023

Ben Stokes was the protagonist of England's victory over Pakistan in the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction is set to be held on December 23 and speculation is already rife on what players the teams will go for. There have been a lot of tournaments for the scouts to consider while evaluating the players and the one that they might be using as a parametre for the big stars would most probably be the T20 World Cup.

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels that England all-rounder Ben Stokes would be a sought-after players and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) could be the franchise that wants him the most. “Lucknow Super Giants will definitely go for Ben Stokes. Only if they don’t get him, they will go for other players," said Ashwin on his Youtube page.

Stokes had been criticised for his low strike rate for much of the T20 World Cup. However, he was the one who saw England through to victory in the final, thus leading them to a second T20 World Cup title. While England crumbled chasing a target of 138, Stokes help up one end calmly. He ended the match unbeaten on 52 off 49 balls.

Ashwin also feels that MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might bid for a second wicket-keeping option in the form of West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran. That, according to the veteran off-break bowler, would be if they are unable to buy any of the all-rounders from among Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, or Cameron Green.

“I feel as a second keeper, an explosive left-hander, I know he didn’t play well last year but I feel he will go for a good price, Nicholas Pooran. His resale value will be really high.”

“Even CSK might also go for him because CSK will go for Sam Curran from the Marquee list. They won’t get him. They will go all-out on Ben Stokes as well. They won’t get him as well. They will also go for Cameron Green,” said Ashwin.