With the player auctions for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) just around the corner, the think tanks of all the 8 franchises are almost ready with the list of players they want to get into their squads.
The IPL Governing Council on Monday announced the date when the tournament will begin. Amid all these developments, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag and Kings XI Punjab team director Virender Sehwag has predicted the most expensive player of the cash-rich tournament.
Sehwag believes that England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes can leave behind Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the mega-auction bidding war to become the most expensive player in the cash-rich league.
Kohli was recently retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs. 17 crores, highest in the history of the tournament. “Virat Kohli is definitely the most expensive player in the IPL but if there is someone who can beat him it has to be Ben Stokes,” Sehwag told News18.
Considering the bidding war which has unfolded almost every IPL auction, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Ben Stokes, the highest price bagger last time, once again become the most expensive player in the upcoming edition too.
Sehwag also made it clear that the RTM (Right to match card) won’t be easy to use for franchises as the competition is tough.
A total of 578 players including 360 Indians will go under the hammer in this year’s IPL auction at Bangalore on January 27 and 28.
