Probably Umesh Yadav will be a very good pick for Punjab Kings: Gautam Gambhir

Ahead of the much-awaited IPL auction for the upcoming 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on February 18 in Chennai, the former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir opined on the players the IPL franchise Punjab Kings (previously known as Kings XI Punjab) should target to strengthen their squad.

Death bowling was a big problem for Punjab in the 2020 edition of the T20 Championship as they had no good option to compliment Mohammed Shami. Thus, Gambhir wants Punjab to bid for the Indian seamer Umesh Yadav, who was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of IPL 2021, as he believes that the pacer bowling along with Shami will open a lot of doors for skipper KL Rahul to rotate the fast bowlers.

Gambhir further added that the presence of two fast bowling options with the new ball will result in Punjab having an extra overseas player and further strengthening their squad. “They (Punjab Kings) might have to probably strengthen their Indian bowling because apart from Mohhamed Shami there is no one who could complement him,” Gautam Gambhir said as quoted by India Today.

Punjab can have someone like Chris Morris, says Gautam Gambhir

“Probably Umesh Yadav will be a very good pick – Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav bowling with a new ball; so, they can actually rotate their fast bowlers. If you have got two Indian bowlers bowling with the new ball, it can actually open one gap for you from an overseas point of view,” he added.

Further, Gautam Gambhir suggested Punjab management go for players like Chris Morris and Kyle Jamieson as they will be a perfect inclusion who can contribute both with the bat and the ball. Punjab has the highest purse among all the eight franchises; INR 53.4 crore and can fill up to 9 slots including 5 overseas players slots.

“They can have someone like Chris Morris who can bowl well in the death as well, and at the same time Kyle Jamieson so they can pick both of them” Gambhir concluded.