NEW DELHI: The excitement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction was felt during the ongoing first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Perth. Walking past Rishabh Pant during the opening day of the match, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon poked the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman. "Where are we in the auction?" Lyon asked. Pant replied: "No idea."
While the venue in Jeddah, the Abadi Al Johar Arena, gets the final coat of IPL colours, the playful incident in Perth showed that the auction is part of the game's backdrop and is on players' minds.
In fact, the two-day auction falls bang in the middle of the match, on November 24-25, and the Australians know that Pant will be in demand after not being retained by his franchise, Delhi Capitals.
Pant, in fact, is one of the hottest properties in the auction pool. A captain, finisher and wicketkeeper rolled into one, he is one player who can tick multiple boxes for his team.
Talking about the three skills that Pant brings to the table, many franchises will be looking for one player who has the stature and commands respect to lead an IPL team.
"Rishabh has that attitude to win a Cup anywhere," Raina, who used to play for Chennai Super Kings, told Timesofindia.com ahead of the auction. "He tried in Delhi, worked very hard there...Same goes with Shreyas Iyer (not retained by KKR), same goes with KL Rahul (not retained by Lucknow Super Giants) because right now it's not just about buying players.
"They (teams) are also looking for a captain. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings, Delhi, Lucknow -- four teams are such that they are looking for an Indian captain," Raina analysed.
HOT PICKS FOR CAPTAINCY ROLE:
Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, Aiden Markram
The role of wicketkeeper extends far beyond his duty behind the stumps, which is especially true in T20 cricket where teams look for 'keepers who can play either as a top-order batter or can play the role of a finisher in the middle and lower order.
Interestingly, three players who will potentially lead the teams that buy them, also qualify for the wicketkeeper's role and are expected to trigger a bidding war between franchises.
Leading the list of wicketkeepers in demand is Pant once again.
HOT PICKS FOR WICKET-KEEPER'S ROLE:
Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Jitesh Sharma, Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The finisher's role is always an important slot for any T20 team around the world. The big-hitting prowess of South African Heinrich Klaasen, who has been retained by his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, is the latest example of how a finisher can change the destiny of his team.
The uncapped Ashutosh Sharma took the IPL 2024 by storm while playing for the Punjab Kings. His 189 runs came at a strike rate of 167.25, including 10 fours and 15 sixes.
Besides him, proven international performers like David Miller and Glenn Maxwell could fetch another lucrative deal despite being in the twilight of their career
HOT PICKS FOR FINISHER'S ROLE:
David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell
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