3 teams who should target Harry Brook at IPL 2024 auction ft. PBKS
England’s dashing batter Harry Brook was purchased by SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) amid much fanfare at the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for a whopping ₹13.25 crore. There were plenty of expectations from the 24-year-old ahead of the season. However, his maiden campaign in the Indian T20 league turned out to be quite an anti-climax.
The hard-hitting batter played 11 matches for SRH in IPL 2023 but managed only 190 runs at an average of 21.11 and a strike rate of 123.38. Brook began the tournament with scores of 13, 3 and 3. Just when the pressure was beginning to rise on him, he clobbered 100* off 55 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, a swashbuckling knock featuring 12 fours and three sixes.
It turned out to be a false alarm though as Brook failed to make much of an impact in the rest of the games he played during the season. Having been released by SRH, the England batter has placed his name in the ₹2 crore bracket for the IPL 2024 auction.
On that note, we picked three franchises that should target Brook at the upcoming auction in Dubai on December 19.
#1 Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Punjab Kings (PBKS) released seven players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, including big-hitters Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Shahrukh Khan. They did have a few strong hitters in their line-up, but Punjab’s batting struggled overall in the IPL 2023 season.
If we look at their batting resources among the retained players list, Shikhar Dhawan might be past his best, while the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone were not consistent in the previous season.
As a batting unit, Punjab did come up with some impressive performances. Overall though, they had a disappointing season, finishing eighth with six wins and eight losses.
PBKS could look to strengthen their batting with the addition of Brook, of course, hoping he delivers if picked. It is a risk, but one worth taking.
Punjab have a salary cap of ₹29.1 crore, with two overseas slots remaining. They can look to put in a strong bid for Brook.
#2 Gujarat Titans (GT)
This could be a rather interesting acquisition if it indeed comes through. Come to think of it, Gujarat Titans (GT) have one prominent overseas big-hitter in their line-up for IPL 2024 heading into the auction - South Africa’s reliable left-handed batter David Miller. There is not much else in the form of hard-hitting overseas talent.
Kane Williamson has been retained after injury ruled him out of IPL 2023 in the tournament opener itself. But he is not someone whom opposition bowlers would fear in the T20 format. Matthew Wade has the talent but not the consistency. As such, GT have often had to rely on Rashid Khan to deliver the big hits.
Having traded their former skipper Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Titans have a purse of ₹38.15 crore for the IPL 2024 auction. They can fill up two overseas slots and Brook might not be a bad option for one of them.
#3 SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Franchises releasing big names ahead of the IPL auction and then purchasing them back is not something unheard of. As such, it shouldn’t be a surprise if SRH again target Brook at the IPL 2024 auction, of course, this time for a lower price in comparison to his whopping IPL 2023 salary.
SunRisers Hyderabad had a disastrous IPL 2023 season. They finished last in the points table after the league stage, winning only four and losing 10 of their 14 matches. They had humongous expectations from Brook. But, barring one game, the decision to pick him was more or less a disaster.
Looking at SRH’s squad ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, though, they do not have strong overseas batting resources. They are heavily dependent on the trio of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and Glenn Phillips.
As such, Hyderabad might just ponder on giving Brook another chance. After all, they do have a salary cap of ₹34 crore and three overseas slots available.