Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh reckoned that Ishan Kishan is going to be in high demand in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. The left-hander Kishan started his IPL sojourn with the defunct Gujarat Lions after which he moved to the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2018 season.
In four seasons, Kishan made a mark for himself to the extent that he has already played limited-overs cricket for the Indian national team. In the last IPL season, Kishan had a tough time while batting in the middle order, but once he was promoted as an opener, he came into his own and smashed fifties against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
However, the Mumbai-based team released him off his services and he’s registered for the upcoming mega auction at a base price of INR 2 crores. Harbhajan, who retired from all cricket last year, said that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would go hammer and tongs to catch hold of Kishan in the mega auction.
Ishan Kishan will become a very big player: Harbhajan Singh
“Ishan Kishan is someone I am a fan of. On his own capability, on any given day, he can smash 70-80 runs off 30 balls and win the match for his team. He will become a very big player in the time to come. RCB would definitely target Ishan Kishan in the auction. It will be tough because many teams would go after him at the auction,” Harbhajan said.
The Challengers are currently without a skipper after Virat Kohli stepped down after the 2021 edition of the T20 championship. With AB de Villiers not being with the team anymore as well, RCB need to find a new captain. Kishan has experience of leading cricket teams.
Back in 2016, Kishan helped India finish as the runners-up in the U19 World Cup. In the final, Kishan and Co. lost to the West Indies in a low-scoring closely-fought affair. The likes of Rishabh Pant and Avesh Khan also played in the same edition of the tournament.
The IPL 2022 mega auction is scheduled to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Last year, the teams also named their list of retained and released players. The upcoming IPL edition will be a 10-team affair.
