Indian T20 League 2023: Five Delhi players to be released ahead of mini-auction

With India’s campaign coming to an end with a humiliating defeat against England on November 10, Thursday, all eyes will be on the upcoming mini-auction for the Indian T20 League 2023 which is set to take place on December 23, in Kochi. As things stand, with just over a month to go for the auction, all teams will look to fill in their requirements and release players to make changes in the squad. 

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The Delhi franchise, on the other hand, is all set to release Shardul Thakur and four other players ahead of the upcoming mini-auction. Let us take a look at those players whom the Delhi franchise might let go of ahead of the important strategic auction:

1) Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur (Image Source: Twitter)

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The Delhi team bought Shardul Thakur for a whopping INR 10.75 crore and one has to agree that it went in vain as the renowned cricketer failed to deliver for the team. Thakur only managed to pick only 15 scalps in the 14 matches that he played at an economy of around 10. 

With the mini-auction right around the corner, reports claim that the team management might release him into the pool and the Chennai franchise are the most favourites to get the player back into the den in the Indian T20 League 2023.

2) Ashwin Hebbar

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Ashwin Hebbar (Image Source: Twitter)

Ashwin Hebbar, the uncapped Indian batter, who was bought in the mega auction in 2022 for INR 20 lakhs, might find himself in a new team in the upcoming edition of the league. In the worst case, the batter might also go unsold and will have to work hard to make a comeback in such a case. 

For the unversed, the batter is yet to get an opportunity in the league, and with reports claiming that the franchise might release him ahead of the approaching edition, Hebbar would hope to land in a new team that would fetch him the most-needed opportunity. 

3) Tim Seifert

Tim Seifert (Image Source: Twitter)

Tim Seifert, the wicketkeeper from New Zealand, failed to fire up for the Rishabh Pant-led team and eventually, the Kiwi star is all set to be released ahead of the auction. After donning the Delhi jersey in only 2 matches in the previous edition, after being bought for INR 50 lakh, the Black Caps cricketer scored only 24 runs with 21 being the highest score. 

With doors opening for him for a new beginning, Seifert would hope to land in a team, that would support his natural game. And for Delhi, it is all about bagging the right replacement for him and clinching the title for the first time ever. 

4) Mandeep Singh

Mandeep Singh (Image Source: Twitter)

Mandeep Singh, known for his classy style of batting, was bought by the Delhi team management in the mega auction in 2022 for INR 1.10 crore. However, the batter, after representing the team in 3 matches, managed to score only 18 runs, much to the dreariness of the management. 

With the Pant-led franchise planning to let go of the renowned player, Mandeep would be hopeful of a dream start in the next edition of the Indian T20 League. However, these are all reports and the Delhi team management is yet to come up with the official ‘Player Retention’ list. 

5) KS Bharat

KS Bharat (Image Source: Twitter)

KS Bharat, the Indian wicketkeeper who is with the Indian test team for a while now, got 2 opportunities to make a name for himself in the Indian T20 League 2022, after staying with the Bangalore franchise in 2021. However, contributing only 8 runs off 2 innings, Bharat failed miserably and notably, the star player is all set to be released from the team. 

However, Bharat’s impressive batting skills and wicketkeeping ability might help him land in a suitable team in the next edition. All eyes will be on the batter leading into the auction as the batter can single-handedly take the team home on his day.