3 reasons why IPL franchises shouldn't overspend on Nicholas Pooran at the upcoming auction

The highly-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction is almost upon as 405 cricketers will go under the hammer for 87 available slots in Kochi on December 23 (Friday).

While 273 out of the 405 players are Indian, 132 are overseas players of which four players are from associate nations. There will be several talented players available at the mini-auction, including West Indies' Nicholas Pooran.

The Caribbean batter is considered one of the cleanest strikers in white-ball cricket and will surely be in demand on Friday.

Pooran was bagged by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a hefty sum of ₹10.75 crore in the IPL 2022 auction. The southpaw was the side's most expensive player, apart from skipper Kane Williamson, but he could not provide returns commensurate with his price. Hence, he was released by the Hyderabad-based franchise earlier this year.

There will certainly be plenty of potential suitors at the IPL 2023 auction for a player of Pooran's caliber. However, we feel that IPL franchises should not go too hard and overspend to sign him at the auction. Here are three reasons why.

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#3 His recent poor form for the West Indies

Australia v West Indies - T20I Series: Game 2

Since becoming the full-time white-ball skipper for the West Indies in May this year, Nicholas Pooran has seen a massive decline in his T20I numbers. The left-hander, who is a vital cog to his national side, has struggled to accumulate runs in recent times.

In his last 14 T20I innings for the West Indies, Pooran has scored just 234 runs at a dismal average of 16.5 and a strike rate of under 129. Like West Indies, Pooran too had a horrid T20 World Cup 2022 where he managed to score only 25 runs across three matches.

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#2 Few franchises will be in the market for an overseas wicketkeeper

Only two teams, the Sunrise Hyderabad and the Kolkata Knight Riders, (KKR) will be desperately looking for a wicketkeeper at the mini-auction. However, both SRH and KKR already have an overseas option already available to them. While SRH have Glenn Philips to hand the gloves to, KKR traded in Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Gujarat Titans (GT) in November.

Both SRH and KKR will surely be vying for an Indian wicketkeeper option. Hence, it will not make sense for the IPL franchises to pay a windfall of money to acquire Pooran.

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#1 He hasn't been reliable in the IPL

Having been part of the IPL since 2019, Pooran has never come up with a special match-winning knock for any of his IPL franchises. Given his immense talent and hitting abilities, the 27-year-old is more often than not expected to take his side home.

However, Pooran has rarely lived up to his expectations and hasn't been a dependable player for any IPL franchise. In the 46 IPL matches he has played so far, the Trinidad lad has mustered 912 runs at an average of 26.06.

Moreover, only one of his four IPL half-centuries came in a winning effort. Thus, IPL teams must keep Pooran's hold-and-cold IPL record in mind before slicing their purses to obtain his services.