‘CSK will have to spend a lot more than they did last time’ – Ravi Ashwin expects a bidding war for Faf du Plessis in IPL 2022 mega auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction is around the corner and all 10 franchises would be busy brainstorming. The two-day bidding event will take place in Bangalore on February 12 and 13. A total of 590 players – 370 Indians and 220 overseas – will go under the hammer and would like to fetch substantial deals. It must be noted that the eight existing franchises were allowed to retain a maximum of just four players.

At the same, the two new sides – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – picked three players apiece from the list of the non-retained players. Meanwhile, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will have to shell out a heavy amount to get Faf du Plessis back on board. The former South African captain has been a vital cog of the team over the years.

He even was instrumental in taking CSK to their fourth title in 2021. The opener scored 633 runs across 14 matches, falling only two runs short of the Orange Cap. As he wasn’t among CSK’s four retentions, the Proteas batter will now land in the auction pool and Ashwin expects a bidding war for him.

Faf du Plessis will have a great demand in my opinion: Ravi Ashwin  

“Last time around, CSK stole Faf du Plessis for 1.5 crore. But this time, I don’t see that type of steal happening for him. CSK fans will definitely have him on their wish list. If CSK wants to buy Faf du Plessis this time, they should definitely be ready to spend a lot more than they did last time. Faf du Plessis will have a great demand in my opinion. Faf will be sought after by most teams,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and Australia’s David Warner are the other two openers who can fetch big deals in the auction, as per Ashwin. “De Kock recently retired from Test cricket. So, most teams can think since he has retired from Tests, he will be going to all countries playing T20 cricket and so he will be sought after,” continued Ashwin.

Among all the overseas openers, Ashwin feels England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow will fetch the highest bids. “When it comes to foreign openers, one who should be going for highest in the pecking order is Jonny Bairstow. There is no such thing called ‘Negative bone’ in Bairstow’s body. He targets all the bowlers from the word go putting the bowlers under extreme pressure. Bairstow will command a huge price in this year’s auctions,” stated the 35-year-old.