It’s possible that Mitchell Starc will go for a sum like INR 18.5 crore: Zaheer Khan

Appearing on JioCinema’s Match Center Live Auction War Room’ on the eve of the IPL 2024 Player Auction, JioCinema IPL experts, Eoin Morgan, Anil Kumble, Aakash Chopra, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, RP Singh, Abhinav Mukund, Mike Hesson, Robin Uthappa, and Zaheer Khan represented the 10 IPL franchises in a mock auction and provided an indication of the bids that some of the top players are likely to attract on Tuesday.

Excerpts: 

On Mitchell Starc, who was the highest buy for RCB at Rs 18.5 crore 

Zaheer Khan: If you look at the make up of the teams, fast bowlers are something they are looking at. Every team pretty much is going to go for that one bowler and the marquee bowlers will command a premium for sure. Mitchell Starc is definitely going to be right up there. 

Parthiv Patel on Gerald Coetzee going to GT

The fast bowling attack of Gujarat Titans – they have got all Indian fast bowlers. I think they need a bit of an upgrade on (Joshua) Little. So, Gerald Coetzee is someone I think they might go for but I don’t know the exact price he might fetch. But he can be a definite option for them. 

Robin Uthappa on whether Coetzee can fit into KKR 

Coetzee fits into the team otherwise as well, he can be the fourth foreigner in the first eleven. He’s done really well at the Eden Gardens in the past. Also, he is a great character who can bring a lot of ‘oomph’ to that KKR side as well. 

Mike Hesson on whether there might be a recency bias for Travis Head going into the auctions 

I think several teams always have that recency bias, where they always remember what happened in the last couple of weeks. And, obviously Travis did something that was pretty incredible. He will get a bid, but he has to bat at the top of the order. He has to be in a side where they can fit him at the top, where he can play the same way. Being able to come out and start against spin is pretty challenging and if he is a set, he can be pretty destructive. 

Suresh Raina on Travis Head going to CSK

I think he has been in great form and likes to play aggressive shots, which we saw in the World Cup. But I think most importantly, he can fill in that Ambati Rayudu gap in the middle overs. So, I think Mahi can definitely go for him. 

Anil Kumble on Pat Cummins for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s choice for leadership

His white ball cricket is still on the up, it’s still not there. He’s a fantastic Test player, captain and leader. But with his white-ball game, he is not a bankable bowler for me. You need a surface that helps him in terms of how he will come about in a 20-over game, so for that price, it’ll certainly be a challenge. I agree with (Eoin) Morgan you need a leadership group, so for that reason, if SRH goes with him, that’s a good option. 

Aakash Chopra on Sameer Rizvi going to LSG (Rs 3.5 crore) 

LSG might need somebody as a finisher. They have a lot of top-order batters and finishers who could be Indians. They have Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, so they have four and five, with Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni. Hooda is not your ideal no. 6, Ayush Badoni is decent, but if you can get somebody else, and I was watching UP T20 League, (Sameer Rizvi) he's done well and can hit sixes. 

Abhinav Mukund on why he thinks Rachin Ravindra will be picked by Punjab Kings

We’ve had enough evidence of what he can do in India and with Jonny Bairstow’s unavailability in the later part of the season. So, I went with the Kiwi. In terms of his place in the team, it’s a fight between Bairstow and Ravindra at the top but it’s always good to have a left-hander in the middle order because there are too many right-handers like Bairstow, Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma. 

Suresh Raina analyses Sameer’s playing style and whether he can come good in the auctions 

He batted fearlessly in the UP domestic leagues. RP and Aakash mentioned how he would fit with Badoni and Hooda, with Hooda playing up the order. He has great batting intent against fast bowlers or spinners and he's in a rich vein of form.  I think, being a UP team in the IPL, it'll be great for him to be brought into the set-up. He plays like Badoni, but he plays with a straight bat and with responsibility, so he could be an expensive buy this IPL. 

On Dilshan Madushanka going to KKR for Rs 10.5 crore 

Anil Kumble: MI will certainly need an Indian back-up. A young fast bowler, Madushanka has had a fantastic World Cup. He’s on the rise. He has all the variations at such a young age. MI would like to have their middle overs covered. It all depends on how much money the others spend in the main auction. But he will certainly be on MI’s plate.