Former batter Aakash Chopra has named five bowlers who he believes could fetch big bucks in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction. The veteran reckoned that Deepak Chahar would be the most expensive Indian bowler after how he has performed for Team India and the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super League (CSK).
Apart from picking up wickets, mostly in the powerplay, Chahar, time and again, has shown his skills with the bat in hand. Chopra said that the bowling all-rounder could trigger a bidding war as he can “break the backbone” of the best of batting lineups.
Chopra heaps praises on Deepak Chahar
“At no.1, I have kept Deepak Chahar. He is a wicket-taker with the new ball. You don’t see any other Indian bowler like that, he is a bank in the first three overs, you break the back of the opponent. He is alright at the death but you can manage with him,” Chopra was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.
After Chahar, Chopra felt that leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could attract massive bids in the mega auction. Chahal was a stalwart for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before the franchise released him off his services.
Chopra, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during his IPL stint, lauded Chahal for putting in a strong showing during the second leg of IPL 2021.
As his other three picks, Chopra named Rahul Chahar, Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan. Chahar didn’t have the best of campaigns for Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2021 following which he had lackluster outings in the T20 World Cup as well.
Krishna plied his trade for KKR in the previous IPL edition and wasn’t quite at his best. Nevertheless, he made a strong comeback in domestic cricket. Khan, on the other hand, was among the leading wicket-takers for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021.
The IPL 2022 mega auction is set to take place on February 12 and 13 with 10 teams, including Lucknow and Ahmedabad, taking part in it. The names, who will go under the hammer in the mega auction, have already been announced.
It remains to be seen which teams pick the two Chahars, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna and at what prices. The Super Kings are the defending champions, having won the title four times.
