Mumbai: Speaking on Star Sports, former India cricketer Mohd. Kaif spoke on RCB’s performance at Day 1 of the IPL Mega Auction. He said:“Jitesh got 11 crores, which is a good buy. Salt was bought for 11.5 crores, which is a steal. Last year, Salt won the IPL trophy against KKR. Salt made some very important contributions. That’s why he got the money.
Jitesh plays number 5. Even though he opens, he plays number 5. Dinesh Karthik is not there this time. Lomror is also not there. So players who play number 5 and 6, bring Jitesh there. Salt will open. This is a very good buy. Salt’s buy is only at 11.5 crores. This means, a player who can play explosively in the powerplay, with Virat Kohli not being the aggressor, Salt’s buy is very beneficial for the team. Now, RCB have to look at their bowling. Bengaluru’s pitch is flat. It’s a high-scoring venue. If you don’t have good bowlers, you’ll get trapped. Hazlewood has got 12.5 crores, so they are looking to strengthen their bowling attack. But they still have a lot to do in their bowling, this is a necessity when playing in Bengaluru.”
Speaking on Star Sports, former India cricketer Suresh Raina spoke about R. Ashwin being back in Chennai Super Kings and the combination of Jadeja, MS Dhoni, and R. Ashwin being together at Chepauk. He said: “In Chepauk Stadium, all the new stands have been built. The wind is blowing from all directions. When Ashwin will bowl from Madras Club, it will give a different feel. He is an astute leader, he bats well, he is a floater. When MS Dhoni is keeping wickets, Ravindra Jadeja will be at slip, and when R. Ashwin is bowling, I think it’s going to be a very different atmosphere in Chennai.”
Speaking on Star Sports, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa discussed Rishabh Pant being the costliest IPL player at the auctions and his acquisition by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Talking about the left-hander’s auction, he said: “Richly deserves it, it’s a great story, there’s a great comeback story, there’s a huge leadership potential in Pant and Lucknow Super Giants are clearly looking at him as a leader. He will do the wicket keeping in all likelihood for LSG, and Nicholas Pooran will be on the field.
They have two leaders in the team and two of them who are probably the most dominating cricketers in world cricket at the moment, so it is a fantastic pick by LSG. DC did give them a run for the money, Punjab Kings kind of stood in the background, didn’t do much, they seemed like they already got their leader in Shreyas Iyer, so they didn’t go with him. What’s surprising for me was RCB didn’t go for Pant. It would have been a great brand value for RCB; it’s a big part of their narrative as well as a franchise, but they didn’t go, which was quite surprising for all of us. But LSG went for him—smart move and well done LSG, well done Rishabh Pant.”
