Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra feels the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might look to buy Dilshan Madushanka at the IPL 2024 auction as well. However, KKR has a remaining purse of ₹32.70 crore heading into the auction. They have a 13-member squad and they can buy a maximum of 12 players, which also includes four from overseas as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “They have not given themselves too many options. They have two Indian fast bowlers in the form of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora but they won’t be able to do the job alone. Andre Russell’s bowling ability remains a huge doubt in any case.”
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The former India opener further added: “I feel they will go shopping for fast bowlers. Very few franchises will be able to outbid them because they have a lot of money. If I know Gautam Gambhir well, his sights will be set on Madushanka. So Madushanka might actually have a field day. He might get sold for six to eight crores.”
However, Aakash Chopra also added that other franchises would also be keen to buy Madushanka as well. He stated that the Sri Lankan pacer is a left-armer who gets the ball to swing and is a wicket-taker as well. Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra also named a couple of other overseas pace bowlers the Kolkata Knight Riders might be interested in.
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“They might not go towards Mitchell Starc but they can go towards Gerald Coetzee because they are looking for an out-and-out fast bowler who is a wicket-taker. Josh Hazlewood after getting released has put his name again in the auction. It depends on his availability, or else Josh Hazlewood is a fantastic option,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “Their focus will be on wicket-takers. I won’t be surprised, if it’s going to be a slow pitch, then Harshal Patel. They might be interested in him because RCB have left him. They and RCB keep trading in any case. The bowlers move from one to another. They have done that too many times.”
