Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted the most expensive picks in the upcoming IPL 206 mini-auction and he has not named any Indian players in his list.
There have been a lot of talks about players being traded ahead of the mini-auction. Names like Sanju Samson and KL Rahul have been making the rounds ahead of the next auction.
There are reports that Samson is topping the list of players targeted by several franchises. This comes on the back of him recently saying that he is looking to move on from Rajasthan Royals. KKR have been the most active franchise in terms of seeking trades. Both Rahul and Samson are in KKR’s radar, who are looking to restructure their team after the last season. Meanwhile, Samson has formally requested Rajasthan Royals to release him so that he can head into the auction.
Mitchell Owen, Cameron Green - Ashwin's Picks For Most Expensive Buys In Mini-Auction
Meanwhile, speaking about the upcoming mini-auction, Ravichandran Ashwin said that with most teams having a solid Indian core, it’s the overseas players who will be given the maximum bid in this year's auction. Ashwin predicted that the overseas players will be in demand in the auction ahead of the Indian players.
"This will be a mini auction where you'll find it tough to get Indian players. Maybe only new players will come. The costly picks will be overseas players. A franchise releasing a big Indian player is a very risky formula. So many Australian players will come in the auction," Ashwin said, speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat'.
He further predicted two Australian players in Mitchell Owen and Cameron Green who could fetch big bucks in the mini-auction. Owen recently made his T20I debut on the back of exploits in the BBL. Meanwhile, Green, after struggling in the Test series against India and West Indies have found form in T20I format.
"You've got Mitchell Owen, who was a replacement player for three games for Punjab Kings. Then you've got someone like Cameron Green coming into the auction. They'll go at a big price because they are foreign all-rounders," the mini-auction will be a game of Rs 25-30 crore for all teams," Ashwin stated.
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Ashwin Likely To Be Part Of Mini-Auction
Prior to the mini-auction, which might be held in November later this year, there have been talks about players being traded. As said above, names like Sanju Samson and KL Rahul are being targeted by several franchises. Meanwhile, there are also reports of R Ashwin being released by the Chennai Super Kings. He was picked by CSK for 9.75 crores but had an underwhelming season, picking up just 7 wickets in nine matches last season.
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