'May be you can still pick me' - S Sreesanth tells Preity Zinta before IPL 2021 Auction

Kerala pacer S Sreesanth’s hopes of making a fairytale comeback to the IPL 2021 did not materialise. This was the very tournament which had derailed his career in 2013 after the spot-fixing scandal. In the wake of the scandal, the World Cup-winning fast bowler received a life ban sentence from the BCCI.

But the ban was cut short to seven years in 2019 and Sreesanth finally returned to competitive cricket last month. The right-arm pacer plied his trade for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Later, he registered his name for the IPL auction at a base price of Rs 75 lakh. However, Sreesanth couldn’t make it to the final list of players who went under the hammer on Thursday (February 18).

But Sreesanth has shown he never gives up and perhaps this is why, he is still hopeful of playing in IPL 2021. In the past, franchises had to pick players in the middle of the tournament due to different reasons and Sreesanth is also hoping for something similar. He made his intentions clear on Thursday by telling Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta to pick him.

May God bless us all: S Sreesanth

It all began when Zinta took to Instagram to ask her followers about the players they would like to see play for Punjab this year. Zinta’s post came just few hours before the start of the auction in Chennai. Posting a picture on the social media after reaching Chennai, she wrote:

“Landed in Chennai for the IPL auction. Super curious to know, which players would you like to see in the #PunjabKings jersey this year ???? Let me know folks – I’m all ears ???????????? #PBKS #SaddaPunjab #iplauction #iplauction2021 #Ting”.

 

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A post shared by Preity G Zinta (@realpz)

And it did not take S Sreesanth long to react to Zinta’s post as he posted a series of comments. In the first one, he suggested his name to be a part of the Punjab Kings. In the following comment, he told Zinta he won’t cost them any money since he was not a part of the auction before the Kerala star wished her luck for the event.

“Sreesanth,” wrote the pacer before adding: “But priceless As I’m not in auction nd yeah..May be u can still pick me ..All the best have fun..May God bless us all”

Sreesanth had started his IPL journey with Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in 2008 and remained with the franchise till 2010. In the inaugural edition of IPL, he was the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament after Sohail Tanveer, claiming 18 wickets. In 2011, he signed up for now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala before signing for Rajasthan Royals in the following season.