Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises are preparing for the upcoming auctions ahead of the new season. The IPL 2019 auction will take place on December 18 in Jaipur and the teams will be looking to sharpen their squads. Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar has said that one player will be on every team’s radar. The former Indian captain feels Mumbai’s young all-rounder Shivam Dubey will find many takers at the IPL 2019 auction, thanks to his current impressive run in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2018-19. IPL Auction 2019 Date Confirmed: Indian Premier League Season 12 Players' Auction to Be Held on December 18 in Jaipur.

The left-handed batsman, who made his first-class debut last season, has so far scored 364 runs in five innings, averaging 91.00. Besides it, Dubey has also picked 12 wickets. In his column for mid-day, Gavaskar rated Dubey as the clean hitter of the ball. "One player who will definitely be on the radar of the scouts of the franchises, as well as the national selectors, is Shivam Dubey. Not since Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly has a left-hander hit the ball so cleanly and powerfully in Indian cricket,” Gavaskar wrote.

“That he is also a medium pacer is a huge plus and more than the franchises, the national selectors should be sitting and taking notice of this talent. He has scored two Ranji hundreds and also picked a fifer which is more than some who are considered indispensable to the Indian team have done. Besides being a left-hander, he also brings a variation that the team can do with,” he added.  IPL 2019 Auction: Yuvraj Singh to Play for CSK in the Indian Premier League 12?

At the IPL 2019 auction, players like Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Glenn Maxwell, and Aaron Finch will be up for grabs after they were released by their previous franchises. With IC Cricket World Cup 2019 scheduled to take place after the IPL 2019 overseas players won’t be available for the whole tournament. So, local players will be a priority for the franchises.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 04, 2018 03:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).