One of the pioneers of T20 cricket and a legend of the Indian Premier League, Dwayne Bravo has excluded himself from the upcoming version of the marquee tournament. Along with him, former Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Super Gaint skipper Steve Smith has also decided not to participate in the forthcoming IPL auction.
The 39-year-old flamboyant Caribbean all-rounder Bravo started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians but a switch to Chennai Super Kings helped him become one of the most valuable players in the history of the tournament.
With three IPL trophies to his name, Bravo is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the cash-rich tournament. In 161 matches, the veteran picked up 183 wickets at an economy of 8.38. Slotting in the lower middle order, Bravo also helped his franchise win multiple games with the bat.
Now, despite being a fan favourite and most importantly, a leading figure in CSK’s bowling lineup, the franchise decided to release him ahead of the mini-auction. The all-rounder was bought for INR 4.4 crore before the 15th edition of the tournament and also picked up 16 wickets from ten matches but despite that, he refused to put his name for auction this year according to ESPNCricinfo.
Now, coming to former Australia skipper Steve Smith, the 33-year-old was released by Delhi Capitals in 2022 and like many other Australian cricketers, he will be skipping the cash-rich tournament next year.
Smith’s last gig with Delhi Capitals saw the cricketer spend most of the time warming the bench. His career strike rate of 128.09 in the Indian Premier League didn’t help him find a place in any of the teams last season and with Ashes scheduled to take place the following year, it is expected that the cricketer has taken some time off to focus on the longer format.
Other notable absentees from IPL mini-auction 2023
As all the teams are gearing up for the cricketing carnival to begin with the IPL auction on December 23 at Kochi, many cricketers are taking a tough call of missing the marquee tournament. Apart from Bravo and Smith, Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc and top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne too have not put their name for the auction.
Meanwhile, the red-ball skipper of the England team Ben Stokes along with Sam Curran, Cameron Green, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Tom Banton, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Jamie Overton, Craig Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Kane Williamson, Rilee Rossouw, Rassie van der Dussen, Angelo Mathews, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder have put their name in the 2 crore base price list.
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