Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the world’s best T20 tournament since its inception. The 15th edition of the league will be grander as it is set to become a 10-team affair. The two new franchises from Lucknow and Ahmedabad will mark their presence and make the competition exciting for the fans as well as the players.
The mega auction is expected to happen in January but the fans are already busy picking their favourite players for the franchise they support. While some want KL Rahul to captain Lucknow, few others are rooting for David Warner to make his way to Ahmedabad.
Amidst all of this, G.S. Vivek, Sports Editor of ABP news, has shared some information. In a tweet, Vivek mentioned that KL Rahul will likely be the captain of Lucknow, and two other players in the form of Rashid Khan and Ishan Kishan will join him in the franchise.
While KL Rahul and Rashid Khan supposedly declined the offers of their former franchises, Mumbai Indians picked Suryakumar Yadav ahead of Ishan Kishan.
As far as Ahmedabad is concerned, Shreyas Iyer will be seen leading the franchise. Hardik Pandya, Quinton de Kock and David Warner are the other players in their radar.
Hardik Pandya was released by Mumbai Indians, owing to his fitness issues. Quinton de Kock also could not make it to the retention list and David Warner’s release from Sunrisers Hyderabad after he was removed from the captaincy was not a surprise.
KL Rahul (captain)-Rashid Khan-Ishan Kishan likely for Lucknow franchise.
Shreyas Iyer (c), Hardik Pandya, Quinton de Kock/Warner likely for Ahmedabad.
Shikhar, Ashwin, SRK, Sundar under CSK radar. Hate to use it in current context but yes… "Sources" said. #CricketTwitter
— G. S. Vivek (@GSV1980) December 16, 2021
For the unversed, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will choose 3 players each from the list of the players that the other 8 franchises released in the draft. Reportedly, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will disclose their picks on or before December 25.
Vivek also revealed that the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings will go after Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shahrukh Khan, and Washington Sundar in the mega auction.
Many players will go under the hammer in the upcoming auction as teams will aim to build a formidable unit for at least next 3 years.
