Indian spin-specialist Ravichandran Ashwin feels Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would have to pay quite a hefty amount of money to keep Faf du Plessis for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.
Since being left out of the South African national team’s plans, the 37-year-old has been playing franchise cricket on a regular basis.
In the previous season of the IPL, du Plessis was instrumental in CSK’s title-winning run. The opener scored 633 runs in 14 games and came within two runs of winning the Orange Cap.
When it comes to potential international openers, Ashwin believes Quinton de Kock and David Warner are also viable choices.
Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, said: “Last time around, CSK stole Faf du Plessis for 1.5 crores. But this time, I don’t see that type of steal happening for him. CSK fans will definitely have him on their wish list. If CSK wants to buy Faf du Plessis this time, they should definitely be ready to spend a lot more than they did last time. Faf du Plessis will have a great demand in my opinion. Faf will be sought after by most teams.”
“De Kock recently retired from Test cricket. So, most teams can think since he has retired from Tests, he will be going to all countries playing T20 cricket and so he will be sought after. Quinton de Kock will be as worthy as his mate Faf. Despite his differences with the SRH management, David Warner’s market value will always remain as an overseas opener.”
However, of all the international openers, including the aforementioned players, Ashwin believes England opener Jonny Bairstow would receive the biggest bid.
The dynamic hitter has been a key player for SRH in recent editions and other teams like his aggressive aim. According to Ashwin, “When it comes to foreign openers, one who should be going for highest in the pecking order is Jonny Bairstow. There is no such thing called ‘Negative bone’ in Bairstow’s body. He targets all the bowlers from the word go putting the bowlers under extreme pressure. Bairstow will command a huge price in this year’s auctions.”
Stay abreast with all the latest cricket match updates of the IPL 2022, latest cricket news, cricket series updates, cricket scores, and more on MadOverCricket
