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5 players Lucknow and Ahmedabad need to target in the Mega Auction | 5 players who could go for record fee in the upcoming IPL Mega Auction
One of the hottest topics that has taken the centerstage amidst the Test season is the recently concluded IPL retention. The existing IPL teams have retained the best players as per their plans and there have been some surprising releases as well, which has opened the door for the two newly added teams Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
They have many huge names to choose from and we expect they will spend millions on some big and established names in order to form a strong core. In this article, we bring you five such players whom the two new teams must target. Here we go.
Shikhar Dhawan
He has certainly not been India’s best opener in T20s, but Shikhar Dhawan definitely possesses a legacy if we consider the IPL. Dhawan is second in the list of the highest run-getters in the history of the league, just behind Virat Kohli with 5784 runs at an average of 34.84 and strike rate of 126.65.
He has scored more than 500 runs in the last three seasons consecutively. The new teams will definitely need an experienced Indian top order batter for their teams and there is absolutely no better option available than Shikhar Dhawan.
Nicholas Pooran
Although he didn’t impress us in the most recent edition of the IPL, Nicholas Pooran is definitely someone whom the bowling unit of every team recognises as a dangerous customer whenever he enters the middle.
If we exclude IPL 2021, Pooran has scored 521 runs in two seasons at an average of 32.56 and an outstanding strike rate of 165.39. These are very impressive numbers considering his role of a finisher in the PBKS team.
Now if we talk about his role, Nicholas Pooran is someone who can smack the spinners and medium pacers with ease. Therefore, the two new teams should think to get him and use as their ‘spin hitter’. He certainly wasn’t impressive in IPL 2021, but I believe he can be used appropriately in this way just as RCB used Glenn Maxwell this year.
Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer is one of the finest T20 bowlers of the current generation. Unfortunately, he missed IPL 2021 owing to injury issues, but he will be up for the grabs in the Mega Auction.
Talking about his performance in the IPL, Archer was one of the finest bowlers in IPL 2020. He has picked 46 wickets from 35 games at an impressive economy of 7.13. He is someone who can cause trouble for any batsman with his fearsome pace and skill of getting movement both in the air and off the pitch. He should be the primary target for the new teams to get a fast bowler who can bowl in all three phases of the game with perfection.
David Warner
If you are going to form a T20 team and you have the best T20 opener among the available options to pick from, then you should try your best to get him.
As we all know, David Warner is among the bests in business in maximizing the powerplay and carrying the momentum in the middle overs as well. Added to that, his skills as a brilliant tactician on the field is known to everyone. Both the new teams will have enough amount in the purse to spend on Warner. Therefore, I will consider it a blunder if they let go this golden opportunity.
Rashid Khan
The best ever T20 bowler Rashid Khan wasn’t retained by SRH, which surprised many.
We will definitely fall short of words describing his worth in a T20 team. His incredible numbers speak volumes of his astounding success in the shortest format of the game.
In the IPL, Rashid has troubled many superstars and has picked 93 wickets from 76 games at an unbelievable economy of just 6.33. He has been one of hardest bowlers to score against and if a team gets him, it will almost complete their spin bowling department. He is definitely that one pick who can win multiple games on his own. Therefore, I expect the new teams to spend a huge amount on him as they have the luxury of that extra amount in their purses.
Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today
