'Surprising that he wasn't part of any franchise until now': Gavaskar expects PBKS' 'clever bowler' to attract buyers
Gavaskar has eyes on one player whom he calls clever and expects to make some heads turn at next year's IPL mega auction.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reckons all players participating in IPL 2021 need to put up a god show if they are to attract the 'big bucks' at the IPL mega auction which takes place early next year. Next year's auction will be different than the rest, with each franchise expected to retain only 2 players, which means that all the squads could come in for an overhaul.
Gavaskar has eyes on one player whom he calls clever and expects to make some heads turn at next year's auction, and that cricketer is England leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Rashid, who is currently playing for Punjab Kings in IPL 2021, which surprisingly is the 33-year-old's maiden IPL stint.
"He's a very clever bowler, Adil Rashid. We have seen him in limited-overs international. He varies the deliveries nicely. He bowls a different line to the left-hander, different to the right-hander taking the ball away from them so that if they are looking for a big hit, they would want to hit it against the turn so that would sky the ball in the air," Gavaskar had said on Star Sports.
PBKS roped in Rashid as replacement for Jhye Richardson after the Australia pacer pulled out of the IPL. Rashid made his IPL debut in the game against Rajasthan Royals, where he went wicketless and conceived 35 runs. He was dropped from the next game which PBKS won against Sunrisers Hyderabad but this by no means is an indication that he might be done. Gavaskar feels that Rashid might be one of the players to look out for at next year's IPL mega auction.
"He's a very, very clever bowler. I'm not surprised that he's gotten those 12 wickets (in The Hundred). What's surprising is that he wasn't part of any of the franchises early on. There is a big auction coming in 4 months' time and this is the time for him to prove himself. Not just him; in fact, all the players in every single franchise know that if they want the big bucks, they have got to perform now," the former India batsman added.