India's spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted that South African pacer Gerald Coetzee is very likely to don the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians (MI) jersey.
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction, Ashwin feels that after letting go of a few pacers, they are likely to go for the Proteas pacer who impressed many during ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023.
"Gerald Coetzee is a very Mumbai Indians player. That blue jersey with gold on him, bowling at the Wankhede Stadium, bustling in—he looks like an MI sort of a player. If they don't get anybody, I think they are going for him. In my view, they might not even go for Mitchell Starc," said Ashwin.
Coetzee was fifth on the list of highest wicket-takers in the tournament. From eight games, he took 20 wickets including a four-fer.
Ashwin also said that Australian skipper Pat Cummins and left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc will be in demand in the auction which is scheduled to be held in Delhi on December 19. Ashwin said that Cummins and Starc may pull out of the tournament midway to prepare for Ashes 2024 at home but it won’t stop franchises from going after them.
"Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are the only two fresh guys. Though there are guys like Rachin Ravindra, Coetzee, and a few other names, it looks pretty sure that these are the two names everybody wants to acquire. The Ashes is going to come, as is the T20 World Cup, and there is a heavy chance that Cummins and Starc are going to pull out of the tournament, and it is there in their histories," Ashwin added.
Cummins had pulled out of the previous edition of IPL. He was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the mega auction. On the other hand, Starc’s previous IPL appearance was for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2015 edition.
After roping in Hardik Pandya, MI have Rs 15.25 crore in the purse. It will be interesting to see which players they go for in the auction with plenty of spots to fill. Meanwhile, Ashwin has been retained by Rajasthan Royals (RR).
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