Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has picked up five Indian bowlers who might fetch big deals in the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction. The auction is scheduled to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.
Indian bowlers will be in massive demand as the franchisees look to build a squad for the next couple of years. Picking five likely bowlers who can go big in the auction, Aakash Chopra snubbed prominent names like Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel and Mohammed Shami.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash picked Prasidh Krishna as the fifth most expensive bowler. He said:
“At no.5, I have kept Prasidh Krishna’s name because of two reasons. He is playing for India also now. He has two or three things that no one else has. Height – point of release is outstanding, he has got the pace and now has the experience of two to three years.”
Aakash Chopra then picked Avesh Khan, who finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2021 after Harshal Patel.
“At no.4, I have kept the player whose name has come just now in the team – Avesh Khan. His last year was phenomenal and the year prior to that was also good. He played ahead of Ishant and Umesh, bowls both with the new and old ball. His special thing is that the ball hits high on the bat and with speed,” he added.
Young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, who was part of the Mumbai Indians in the last season, is also likely to strike gold at the IPL 2022 auction, believes Aakash Chopra. The 44-year-old said:
“At no.3, I have kept Rahul Chahar. There are a lot of spinners but I have kept his name. Rahul Chahar is a proven customer, he has played for Mumbai on extremely small grounds. I think he has got a raw deal, was in the Indian World Cup team but was not selected after that.”
Yuzvendra Chahal and Deepak Chahar are likely to be the most expensive Indian bowlers – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra believes veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will be the most expensive spinner in the auction while he placed his bet on Deepak Chahar to be the most expensive fast bowler.
“At no.2, I have kept Yuzvendra Chahal. He is a gun bowler although his numbers might have gone down for the last little while. The second half of the last IPL was outstanding. He has pedigree, performance, potential – he is brilliant,” he continued.
“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,” Aakash Chopra concluded.