IPL 2019 Auction: Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma may not attract bidders; Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat can be preferred

As the IPL 2019 auction is just 3 days away, all the franchises are busy doing their homework. There are some reputed names which were released by the teams and therefore they will be part of the auction which will be held in Jaipur on 18th December (Tuesday). Yuvraj Singh and Ishant Sharma are two of the big names which will go under the hammer.

Yuvraj had been woefully out of form for Kings XI Punjab in the 2018 season and had a poor Vijay Hazare Trophy with 264 runs in 7 matches. Lack of runs under Yuvraj’s belt may hurt his chances to attract bidders while Ishant’s mediocre performances in the past editions may result in him going unsold at the auction just like the previous one feels Delhi Capitals co-owner, Parth Jindal.

Ishant looks over the hill

“There are no emotions when we go into the auctions looking to build our side. We all know about someone like Yuvraj’s form and fitness so far this season. All franchisees will do their homework well.” Jindal told CricketNext. “Ishant Sharma like Yuvraj looks over the hill for the IPL format. I’ll be surprised if he generates interest going by his past IPL record and the fact that he went unsold last year.”

The franchises will have a desire to go after Jaydev Unadkat and Axar Patel said Amrit Mathur, the CEO of the Delhi Capitals as he opened about his team’s options. “Axar is quite a useful bowler and Delhi as well as Rajasthan are short of spinners in their line-up. I think he’ll get quite a good deal with a lot of franchises interested in quality Indian spinners.”

It is speculated that Indian pacers who will be a part of the World Cup may not be available for the entire season, including Mohammed Shami and that may play a part whether the player finds any team at the auction.

“Any franchise that picks Shami will expect him to lead their attack but if he has to be rested for half the tournament then teams will much rather opt for younger pacemen like Barinder Sran or Mohit Sharma or Varun Aaron,” Mathur said.

U19 and domestic players on the radar

The teams may opt to bid for domestic bowlers and the players who were successful in the other T20 Leagues said an official.

“Teams will be willing to bet on some Under-19 seamers as well. There are also young spinners like Odisha’s Pappu Roy, who is believed to be a promising talent and Tamil Nadu leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy was very successful in the Vijay Hazare trophy.”

The young Indian players may attract bidders as there isn’t much clarity over the availability of the overseas players due to the World Cup. “Apart from Indian bowlers, South Africa, New Zealand, and West Indies players will be in demand to ensure that teams are prepared for all kinds of surfaces,” Mathur said. “The franchises will be wary of England and Australian players, so the safest bet is young Indian cricketers.”

Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojha may be options for the teams that are looking for wicketkeepers but there are questions over Saha’s fitness and the latter is out of form.

“Saha’s fitness is a big question mark because he still hasn’t returned to first-class cricket,” another franchise owner said. “While Naman has struggled to hit top form and he is also over 35 years of age. But Kings XI, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad are all looking for Indian wicketkeepers, so Saha and Naman could answer for them.”

~ Written by Sarthak Karkhanis

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