Account by strange sort of players (6)
I believe the answer is:
actors
'players' is the definition.
('actor' can be a synonym of 'player')
'account by strange sort' is the wordplay.
'account' becomes 'ac'.
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'strange' is an anagram indicator.
'sort' anagrammed gives 'tors'.
'ac'+'tors'='ACTORS'
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for actors that I've seen before include "Cast" , "Theatrical performers" , "Players on stage" , "They 23 down" , "Luvvies" .)