Indian all-rounder R Ashwin said that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will have to spend a lot more money to retain the veteran Faf du Plessis. The veteran has been playing franchise cricket since getting dropped from the South African national team’s plans. However, he has played a crucial role in CSK’s title win in the last edition of the IPL. He scored 633 runs in 14 matches and fell only two runs short of the Orange Cap as well.
Talking about other overseas openers candidates, Ashwin stated that Quinton de Kock and David Warner as equally good options. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said: “Last time around, CSK stole Faf du Plessis for 1.5 crores. But this time, I don’t see that type of steal happening for him. CSK fans will definitely have him on their wish list.”
He continued: “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. 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. Quinton de Kock will be as worthy as his mate Faf. Despite his differences with the SRH management, David Warner’s market value will always remain as an overseas opener.”
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However, among all the overseas openers, R Ashwin has predicted the highest bid will go to England opener Jonny Bairstow. The swashbuckling batsman was consistent for SRH in the last few editions and his fearless intent is admired by every franchise. Notably, SRH bought Bairstow for a sum of INR 2.2 crore in the 2018 IPL Auction. He and David Warner did well together.
R Ashwin said: “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. Another outlying opening option despite him not opening the batting these days is Nicholas Pooran. He has opened the batting in T10 tournaments. So, if teams see him as an opener, then he will also be on par with Jonny Bairstow.”
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“The next two openers I am gonna talk about have huge potential. Few teams might steal Jason Roy for the base price and get as many impactful performances as you get from a Jonny Bairstow. Then, we have a player who can bat anywhere from 4, 3, or even open the innings in Aiden Markram. These two players are good stocks to invest in. A team like SRH can go for Conway, he is a team player,” R Ashwin concluded.
