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The countdown has begun as the much-awaited IPL 2022 auction is less than five days away. A total of 590 cricketers will go under the hammer on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru as the 10 franchises – including newly-added Lucknow Super Giants and Team Ahmedabad – will look to build their squads.
Former Chennai Super Kings spinner R Ashwin in his recent youtube video has expressed his thoughts on which batsman can fetch a lot of money in the auction this year. His list includes the names of players like Johnny Bairstow, David Warner, Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis. Previously as well he posted videos sharing his thoughts on some Indian batsmen like Ishan Kishan, Shikhar Dhawan, Devdutt Padikkal and a few surprising picks like Wriddhiman Saha and Priyam Garg.
Among those topping Ashwin’s list is Faf du Plessis who had wreaked havoc with Ruturaj Gaikwad for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2021 season. Du Plessis was among the finest batters in the T20 league, playing a lead role in CSK’s journey to the title. But, last time around, CSK only had to shell out INR 1.5 crore to get the South African’s services. This time, Ashwin isn’t expecting the veteran batsman to go for such a low fee.
"Last time around, CSK stole Faf du Plessis for 1.5 crore. But this time, I don’t see that type of steal happening for him. CSK fans will definitely have him on their wish list. If CSK wants to buy Faf du Plessis this time, they should definitely be ready to spend a lot more than they did last time. Faf du Plessis will have a great demand in my opinion. Faf will be sought after by most teams," Ash said on his YouTube channel.
"De Kock recently retired from Test cricket. So, most teams can think since he has retired from Tests, he will be going to all countries playing T20 cricket and so he will be sought after," he added.
Notably, CSK had retained Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the mega auction. Earlier, Ashwin had admitted that he would like a return to Chennai Super Kings but explained the move could be difficult due to the presence of Moeen in the squad.