The former Indian opener Aakash Chopra thinks that Quinton de Kock might turn out the most expensive overseas opener in the upcoming IPL mega auction. An overseas opener who can make use of the powerplay is always in demand for most of the teams.
And, De Kock is not the only option that the franchises will have in the auction. There are a lot others too including the Australian World Cup winning captain Aaron Finch, the West Indies dasher Evin Lewis and the former SRH captain David Warner who was recently named the man of the tournament in the T20 World Cup.
But, what might go in De Kock’s favor is the fact that he scored runs in the two ODIs against India and the games against India which take place close to the auction are always very important because a lot of the franchises and their scouts are tracking those games.
De Kock was a part of the Mumbai Indians squad for the last three seasons of the IPL and he won two back to back IPL titles with them. He was actually bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2018 IPL mega auction, but was then traded to Mumbai Indians who were looking for a left handed opener.
There are a few question marks over De Kock’s capability against spin bowling, but the IPL next year is most likely to take place in only Mumbai and Pune and the surfaces at these two venues are not really rank turners. They are good batting surfaces and De Kock can provide real value for money at the top of the order.
Quinton de Kock is arguably the best wicketkeeper in the world
It’s not just as an opener that Quinton De Kock brings a lot of quality to the table, he is also probably the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment. His supreme wicketkeeping skills were there for everyone to see when he stumped Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer down the leg side in the first and the second ODI against India respectively.
De Kock’s previous franchise Mumbai Indians would probably bid for him in the auction again, apart from some of the other franchises, and it shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone if he fetches a huge sum of money as Aakash Chopra has predicted.
Aakash Chopra was clearly very impressed with De Kock’s skill with both bat and the gloves in the recent ODI series against India and showered praise on him at the conclusion of the series.
I won’t be surprised if QDK goes for most money amongst overseas openers…it’s an elite list, mind you. Warner, Bairstow, Faf, Lewis, Finch and more. #IPL2022
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 23, 2022
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