Pietersen, Gambhir top franchisees’ wish lists
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Jan. 7: The inaugural IPL auction in 2008 was visiting the unknown and players were picked purely on reputation rather than effectiveness in the shortest format. After three seasons, higher value is placed on players who add value.
Those involved with the selection process have been working overtime to select the right combination. Highly placed sources indicated their wish list. Here is a look at who is likely to buy whom.
Chennai Super Kings: Having retained their best four possible, the defending champions have exhausted half their purse. R. Ashwin, Doug Bollinger and S. Badrinath are in the high priority list. If they manage to get all three, the rest of the composition will be made up with a foreign batsman and uncapped players.
Mumbai Indians: Zaheer Khan will be priority while Ashish Nehra and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to be pursued.
Kolkata Knight Riders: The franchisee will have to start from scratch. To pick a captain will be their main prerogative and Kevin Pietersen and Gautam Gambhir have emerged as the likely candidates for this Bollywood team. Chris Gayle is also in the wish list.
Delhi Daredevils: David Warner could be bought at a high price. The talent scouts have worked hard and T20 specialists from Australia and South Africa are expected to form the fulcrum of the side.
Rajasthan Royals: The players are wary of the franchise. Too many issues regarding payments has turned out to be poor publicity. Yusuf Pathan declined the retention offer. Performers in the Big Bash in Australia and T20 league in England are likely to find favour.
Kings XI Punjab: With their wallet intact, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene could command high price. People in the know say that the owners have shown a keen interest in Cameroon White.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: In retaining Virat Kohli, the owners have clearly set the tone for the future. RCB will be looking at proven match winners in Dayle Steyn, Andrew Symonds and Chris Gayle.
Deccan Chargers: Having decided to shelve ageing superstars, the Chargers will be looking for side that will evolve.
Pune Warriors: Yuvraj Singh is the likely skipper. Brian Lara will also be actively pursued. Yusuf Pathan could command a million.
Kochi: Gautam Gambhir could lead the new side. It will be difficult for the think-tank to pick the right squad unless the auction pairings work to their advantage.
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