Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant may prove to be the most expensive player in the two-day mega auction of the Indian Premier League from Sunday, while 577 players are going to be auctioned. The ten IPL teams have a purse of Rs 641.5 crore and 204 possible selections remain to be made. In such a situation, everyone’s eyes will be on Pant’s name. Punjab Kings has the highest purse of Rs 110.50 crore while Royal Challengers Bangalore has Rs 83 crore. Delhi Capitals have Rs 73 crore and a Right to Match (RTM) code with which they can buy their former captain. However, it is understood that Pant does not want Delhi to use the RTM card because at the time of separation there was a rift in relations and Pant no longer considers himself a part of the team. He had also said, “My retention was not about money.” This is fixed.”
The biggest question is whether Pant can become the first Indian player to cross Rs 25 crore. Chennai Super Kings or Mumbai Indians only have Rs 45 crore and would not be in a position to buy him at this price. Punjab Kings, known for changing teams every two years, have a huge purse and head coach Ricky Ponting would like to reunite with his favorite player.
The base price of 81 players for the auction is Rs 2 crore. Current Indian cricketers can cross the one million dollar (Rs 8.5 crore) mark. Arshdeep Singh, who has taken 96 T20 International wickets in the last three seasons, can also get a big bid. Punjab has RTM card but don’t know how far the bidding goes. There will also be a lot of demand for fast bowlers while almost all the star cricketers of India except Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have been taken. Iyer could be Delhi’s choice for captaincy.
The three possible captains for RCB, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings could be Pant, Rahul or Iyer. Ishan Kishan will also be prominent among the Indian players but this time Mumbai Indians are not in a position to buy him for Rs 15 crore like last time. Eyes will also be on Mohammed Shami who is playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Apart from these, the names which will be discussed are prominent.
1.Khalil Ahmed: Those who will not be able to buy Arshdeep Singh will have their eyes on Khalil. RCB has retained Yash Dayal, so Khaleel can get a good price. Under the demand-supply equation, good bids can be made on them.
2.Deepak Chahar: Chahar, who has been troubled by injuries in the last few years, proves to be a good swing bowler in the powerplay. Many teams can fight for them. He has also performed well in Ranji Trophy.
3.Avesh Khan: Avesh Khan, who took 19 wickets for Rajasthan Royals in the last season, was bought for Rs 10 crore. They can get a good price once again.
4. Harshal Patel: Harshal Patel always gets a big deal in IPL. Even though his name is not considered in the selection for the national team, this bowler, who took 24 wickets in the last season, cannot be ignored in the IPL.
5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar: There are very few Indian seam and swing bowlers who perform well in the powerplay and Bhuvneshwar also has experience in his favor. He can be bought for less than ten crores and the world knows that the real captain of CSK is M. How much does S Dhoni like experienced players?
6. Jos Buttler: It is unlikely that Yashasvi Jaiswal will get a chance to play with his favorite Jos Bhai but in the absence of Ben Stokes, he could be the most expensive foreign player. Considering the batting-friendly pitch of Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB can bet on him.
7.Liam Livingstone: This is a player on whom Punjab can use the RTM card. They will have their eyes on other teams too.
8.Kagiso Rabada: Rabada will always be in demand in IPL. Delhi Capitals can buy him again and Punjab has the option of RTM. Mumbai Indians may also consider taking him as Jasprit Bumrah’s partner fast bowler.