Legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels Delhi Capitals will go big for wicket-keeper bat Ishan Kishan in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The Capitals didn’t retain their former captain Rishabh Pant and thus they would certainly need a wicket-keeper bat in their squad despite retaining young Abishek Porel, who can also take the gloves.
Gavaskar believes Delhi Capitals will be ready to spend INR 10-15 crores on Ishan Kishan, as he can turn the match on its head with his aggressive batting. Kishan will go under the hammer after he was released by five-time champions Mumbai Indians.
The left-hander has scored 2644 runs in 105 IPL matches at an average of 28.43 and a strike rate of 135.87.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports show Game Plan, “I feel Delhi will try very hard to get Ishan Kishan. They might be ready to pay 15 to 20 crores for Ishan Kishan because we have seen that Ishan Kishan has the ability to change the complexion of the game in T20 cricket because of the way he bats.”
The former Indian captain feels Punjab Kings will also be interested in roping Ishan Kishan at the auction. PBKS retained Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh ahead of the auction.
“With Delhi not retaining Rishabh Pant, they will look for a wicketkeeper-batter as well. Punjab has possibly got the biggest purse so far when they go into the auction. So Punjab will also make a play for Ishan Kishan,” Gavaskar observed.
On the other hand, the former Indian opener feels England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler will be in huge demand in the upcoming auction after he was not retained by Rajasthan Royals.
“Jos Buttler is another wicketkeeper-batter. With a wicketkeeper-batter what happens is that you can actually use him as a fielder and you can use him as a wicketkeeper as well. So there will be a big demand for him. He is one of those few batters who seems to score a hundred in the IPL every year,” he reasoned.
Gavaskar feels the previous season’s runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings will surely raise their bidding paddle for Buttler in the mega-auction.
“So clearly I think a lot of teams will go for him. Hyderabad could go for him. With Travis Head and Abhishek (Sharma) as No. 1 and No. 2, Buttler comes in at No. 3, their top three becomes really a devastating combination. Maybe again Punjab will go for him. So it’s going to be interesting who will eventually get Jos Buttler,” Gavaskar said.
The auction will take place at Jeddah on November 24 and 25 as 1574 players (1,165 Indian and 409 overseas) have registered.
