3 players who could be used as batting floaters in IPL 2023
T20 is a game of uncertainty. The course of a T20 game often gets decided within the span of one or two overs.
The approach of modern-day skippers to the T20 game is a different one. Often, there are no fixed batting positions for certain cricketers in the line-up, and they are used as floaters depending on the opposition, the pitch, and the game situation.
Every team in IPL 2023 will have a couple of cricketers who could be used as floaters. Here is a look at three such cricketers:
#1 Cameron Green
The Aussie all-rounder could be used as a floater in the batting order for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Cameron Green is primarily a middle-order batsman who is a dangerous batsman lower down the order.
However, in T20Is, the equation changes. Australia have used Green as an opener in seven out of the eight T20Is he has played. While opening the batting, Green has an astounding strike-rate of 187.67.
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As an opener in India, he has a better record, and in 4 T20Is, he has a strike-rate of 214.55 and has also scored two half-centuries.
Mumbai Indians acquired Green for a whooping sum of Rs. 17.50 crores in the IPL 2023 auction. The team now has an explosive batting lineup comprising Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Tim David, and Cameron Green.
Green could fit into any position in the said batting line-up, i.e., could be used as an opener, an aggressor at number three or four as and when the situation demands, or could be used as a finisher at number five or six in the death overs.
#2 Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda has been in and out of the Indian T20I team for the past year, failing to establish himself as a consistent member of the national team.
He has played well in the limited opportunities he has had to represent Team India. In 12 T20I innings, he has been used as a floater. He has opened the batting and has also batted at number three to number seven position in the batting line-up.
He has tasted success, particularly at number three in T20Is, and in four innings batting at the said position, he has an average of 49, a strike-rate of 166.10, and has even scored a century.
In IPL cricket, out of 75 innings, he has batted at numbers five and six on 56 occasions. He is often seen playing the role of a finisher.
Considering his success in T20Is at the top of the order, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) could be tempted to promote Hooda at number three to give him more game time in the middle.
However, LSG have abundant batting resources at their disposal in the top six, i.e., Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, and Deepak Hooda, and accordingly, Hooda could be used as a floater in the batting line-up depending on the game situation.
#3 Ben Stokes
The acquisition of Ben Stokes makes the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting line-up a dangerous one. Having Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ben Stokes in the top seven makes CSK one of the most balanced outfits as far as their batting line-up is concerned.
Ben Stokes is a dangerous player in the T20 format, batting at any position. He has the ability to change the course of a T20 game in a span of an over or two with the bat and can be used as a floater in the batting line-up.
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For England, he has batted at various positions, i.e., from three to seven. As far as IPL cricket is concerned, he has tasted success opening the batting, where he averages 32.89. He can also bat at number six, where he has an IPL batting average of 37 in two innings.
CSK could initially loop in Stokes in the middle order. However, M.S. Dhoni is known to bring the best out of his team. The wily skipper could use Stokes in the top-order sparingly and in the middle-order in the remaining times depending on the opposition and the match situation.