The IPL 2021 auction day is coming closer and the franchisees are planning to pick the big stars who suit their plans when the teams meet in Chennai on February 18. The star opening batsman from England Alex Hales is likely to set the auction floor on fire with a couple of franchises keen to rope in the dashing opener.
Meanwhile, Hales has been setting the Big Bash League sphere on fire with his whirlwind knocks for his side Sydney Thunder. He is, at present, the competition’s highest run-scorer (he has 543; nobody else has reached 500), scorer of the highest individual score (110 made against Sydney Sixers), striker of the most sixes (30; the next highest is 25) and has the highest strike-rate (161.60) of anyone with 300 runs.
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Following his outstanding show in Australia, a lot of franchisees will be having their eyes on the dashing English opener, who is still looking for an international contract. Alex Hales will be keen to up the good show in India and impress the English selectors for a return with the ICC T20 World Cup to take place in India later this year in view.
3 teams that can pick Alex Hales in IPL 2021 auction:
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
After leaving Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch owing to his poor run in IPL 2020, the Royal Challengers will be in desperate need of an overseas opener to pair up with Devdutt Padikkal at the top-order. Alex Hales, who is known for providing blistering starts, can prove to be a perfect foil for Virat Kohli & Co.
With Hales and Padikkal at the start followed by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batting order will be a threat for the opposition sides.
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2. Chennai Super Kings
The MS Dhoni-led side had a horrific run in the UAE finishing seventh in the points table failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in history. As a result, they will look for a revamp in their squad and Alex Hales perfectly fits their bill.
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The hard-hitting all-rounder, who is currently in the form of his life, will come in handy for Chennai Super Kings in providing free-flowing starts and setting the tone for experienced finishers like Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, and Ravindra Jadeja to capitalise.
1. Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders have struggled with their opening slots trying in various options along with makeshift opener Sunil Narine. Also, they have released opener Tom Banton, who warmed the benches through IPL 2020 in the UAE.
Considering the situation, Alex Hales can be the perfect customer for the Knight Riders to give them a fiery start for the star-studded middle-order which boasts the likes of Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell. It will be interesting to see how the KKR think tank go about their business in the IPL 2021 auction.
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