The mega IPL auctions which is set to take place in Bengaluru in a few ””’ time is bound to see some action. All eyes will be on these five Indian bowlers who were released by their respective franchises which led to amazement from many of their fans. Nevertheless, leaving a player out can be sometimes the best thing that happened to him as in auctions like these, they trigger a bidding war among franchises. Ultimately, it is the player who actually ends up being the real winner. We take a look at those five Indian bowlers who are surely eyeing a lottery.
Ravichandran Ashwin: It may be purely fate that the likes of Ravi Ashwin, premier Indian spinner, an intellectual of the game, missed out on retention by his franchise Delhi Capitals. Well, he was not the only one. Big names like Shikhar Dhawan and Kagiso Rabada were among those who were released too. Good for them, especially Ashwin who will be eyed by many. There are teams that are looking for a captain. Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Bengaluru—they all need a captain. If not a captain, an astute thinker of the game will do them or other teams (who have closed in on a skipper) a world of good. Meanwhile the bowler Ashwin had a lukewarm IPL where he picked up 13 wickets in 7 matches but showed signs of improvement in ICC T20 World Cup 2021 with 9 wickets in 5 matches at an economy of 5.25 and strike rate of 13.3.
Mohammed Shami: Back to fate! You just don’t leave players like Shami out. How can you? He is going through his peak years. By leaving him out, Punjab Kings have let go of one of their biggest assets, and we are sure they are not getting their hand on him, for there are a lot of takers for the Bengal speedster. Shami on the other hand must be smiling. For, he has the numbers to prove his worth. In IPL 2021, he picked up 19 wickets in 14 matches with a strike rate of 16.6—A wicket every 16 balls! Even since 2019, he has picked up 58 wickets in 42 IPL games. Of those 58 wickets, an incredible haul of 37 scalps has come in the death overs at a staggering strike rate of 8.8. He must be eyeing a lottery out there.
Yuzvendra Chahal: Leaving Chahal must be hard for RCB, especially since he was the go-to bowler for them. A relationship that started back in 2014, Chahal almost became inseparable until the team parted ways this year. In fact, 2021 was hard on the bowler, first, he was dropped from T20 World cup and then from RCB. Nevertheless, when it came to getting the breakthroughs, he was the man at RCB. Even till 2019 when IPL happened in India, he bowled with a lot of heart at Chinanaswamy where the room for error was minimal. Despite this, he gave his balls a lot of flight and had top batters caught, providing many happy memories to RCB fans. Even his recent IPL numbers packed a punch. 15 matches, 18 wickets. With the tournament set to happen in India, he will be even more lethal.
Harshal Patel: What makes Harshal Patel special? Answer: his death bowling. Patel rose through the ranks and matured just in time (he is 31) to ace the art of bowling death overs. Fortunately, he excelled in his job which meant he will be eyed by a lot of them. His superb bowling against Mumbai Indians in IPL opener is a case in point. The 2021 IPL saw him picking 32 wickets in 15 matches where he also won the purple cap. This was the highest wicket taken by an individual in a single IPL season—a record he equaled with Dwayne Bravo.
Deepak Chahar: There is no better new ball bowler than Chahar who could swing it both ways. Last year his opening burst against Punjab Kings brought them to their knees. It was him that CSK found success with the ball after their return to the league in 2018. Earlier he was a new ball specialist, but over the years he learned to bowl effectively in death overs. He also comes with solid batting skills. Remember his two special knocks? One against South Africa recently (54 off 34 balls) and one back in July against Sri Lanka(69 off 82 balls). Teams would like to have him on board ASAP.
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