The IPL 2021 is the penultimate chance for young players to impress the owners ahead of next year’s major auction, and some have already done so. While everyone’s attention is on the current edition of the IPL, teams must be gearing up for the mega-auction that will take place next year.
The IPL 2022 player auction is expected to be a significant event, with most teams expecting a complete overhaul of their roster. The mega-auction promises to be a show-stopper, with franchises only able to retain two cricketers.
For the Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson is back to his IPL beast mode, while Ruturaj Gaikwad is coming into his own for the Chennai Super Kings. Harshal Patel leads the list of leading wicket-takers by a long way, and Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi are making significant progress.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, on the other hand, has endorsed Venkatesh Iyer of Kolkata Knight Riders, a 26-year-old all-rounder, to draw franchises’ attention at next year’s auction.
Iyer’s T20 record is impressive even outside of the IPL, according to Manjrekar, and given his present form, he might earn significant sums and generate a strong bidding battle among the owners.
“I’m thinking 12-14 crores because this is not a kind of a fluke show. I was looking at his First-Class numbers and his List A record is outstanding. His average is 47, strikes at 92. That is his T20 record in domestic cricket, not counting the IPL. His strike rate is high, he averages 37. So this is a guy who knows how to bat. Plus, he is a bowler, and in the last match, he has shown that he can bowl the tough overs too. So he is somebody who is going to fetch a very high price,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
Iyer made his KKR debut in the second leg of the franchise’s season. He started out with an unbeaten 41 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, then hit his first IPL fifty against Mumbai Indians. He then went on to have a great season with the ball, picking up 2/29 against Delhi Capitals and 1/30 against Punjab Kings, while also scoring his second fifty of the season against PBKS.
Manjrekar believes Iyer will be a long-term player rather than a one-season marvel.
“Today, I focussed on the way he bats. Very interestingly, he bats a lot on the backfoot. Looks to pull, play the cut. So this is a batter who is not going down the wicket and trying to hit forcing everything. He is staying on backfoot, cutting and pulling and then he’s got a big stride forward. I see him more as a real qualified T20 game-changer than somebody having a couple of good weeks,” Manjrekar added.
