3 players who are damaging their IPL 2023 chances with their ILT20 performances
There are several T20 franchise leagues going on right now, one of which is the ILT20, but the Indian Premier League (IPL) still remains in the headlines.
Several players who will take part in IPL 2023 are currently involved in the ILT20. At the time of writing, Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard and Joe Root are part of the top five run-getters in the league, while David Wiese rounds off the top three wicket-takers.
At the same time, certain other big names have failed to impress so far. Here are three players who are damaging their IPL 2023 chances with their ILT20 performances.
#3 Noor Ahmad
The Gujarat Titans retained Noor Ahmad ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, presumably viewing him as a backup for vice-captain Rashid Khan. Given GT's acquisitions at the auction, they may even be able to play him alongside Rashid by fielding an additional domestic fast bowler.
But Ahmad hasn't been particularly potent in the ILT20. His economy rate of 7.06 is impressive, but he has managed only two wickets from five matches at an average of 56.5. The spinner hasn't been able to contribute with the bat either, with the Sharjah Warriors batting deep.
Ahmad is only 18 years old and has a long career ahead of him, but he isn't doing his IPL 2023 chances any favors right now.
#2 Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali is currently featuring for England in the ODI series against South Africa, but his ILT20 showings during the same time frame have been disappointing. The Warriors captain has recorded just 66 runs from five innings at an average of 13.2 and a strike rate of 117.85. To add to this poor record, he has scalped just one wicket at an economy rate of 13.
Moeen will play for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023. The Men in Yellow retained him ahead of the 2022 mega-auction but can probably afford to put out a playing XI without him in the mix. CSK have several top-order batters and have acquired Ben Stokes, while Moeen's IPL 2022 performances weren't all that great.
Moeen is still expected to play a big role in the Super Kings' home matches, but he isn't at his best right now in the T20 format.
#1 Trent Boult
MI Emirates have two left-armers in the form of Trent Boult and Fazalhaq Farooqi, the latter has clearly outshone his more experienced counterpart. While Farooqi has eight wickets from six matches at an economy rate of 7.78, Boult has managed just five scalps at 7.36.
Boult is primarily a new-ball bowler in T20 cricket, and his role entails picking up wickets in the powerplay. The Kiwi is currently without a central contract with his country to free up time for franchise leagues around the world, but he hasn't set the ILT20 on fire.
The Rajasthan Royals desperately need some quality death bowling and could field Obed McCoy ahead of Boult, with new signing Jason Holder being capable of making an impact with the new ball.