S Sreesanth in IPL 2021: Three Teams Who Can Bid for the Pacer at the Indian Premier League 14 Auction

S Sreesanth made an impressive comeback to professional cricket after seven years, bowling a match-winning spell in Kerala’s opening game in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021. Playing against Puducherry, the pacer gave just 29 runs in four overs and claimed a crucial wicket of Fabid Ahmed. Just like old days, Sreesanth delivered a classic in-swinger to rattle the stumps. The cricket world was in awe of Sreesanth’s performance as making a comeback after such a long halt is not an easy job. Moreover, the two-time World Cup-winner is 37-year-old, and you don’t see many fast bowlers delivering thunderbolts at this age. Sreesanth Plays Professional Cricket After 2,804 Days.

While Sreesanth’s magnificent comeback is earning praises on social media, several Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners would be thinking about bagging the Kerala pacer’s services in IPL 2021 auctions. If Sreesanth can bowl such spells regularly, he can be a handy weapon on Indian tracks. Moreover, the two-time World Cup-winning pacer has a rich experience of playing in IPL, which is another reason why franchises can show interest in him. In 44 games IPL games, the right-arm speedster scalped 40 wickets at an economy rate of just over eight. As we discuss Sreesanth’s return to the showpiece tournament, let’s look at three teams who can bid for him in IPL 2021 auctions. IPL 2021 Auction to Take Place on February 11.

1. Chennai Super Kings

With the MS Dhoni-led side already having many aged players, picking a 37-year-old might not sound a great idea. However, Sreesanth can be a force to reckon with at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The right-arm pacer can swing the ball with a decent pace and has many variations to trouble the batsmen. Moreover, the like of Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar didn’t impress much in IPL 2021 and picking Sreesanth might benefit the three-time IPL champions.

2. Rajasthan Royals

While Jofra Archer led Rajasthan’s pace attack in IPL 2021, he didn’t get much support from other bowlers. Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat and Kartik Tyagi were taken to cleaners regularly as the Men in Pink finished at last position. Hence, bringing in a seasoned bowler in the form of Sreesanth can be a great idea. Moreover, Royals will play half of their games at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, which is known to help the pacers.

3. Kings XI Punjab

The KL Rahul-led team arguably had one of the most fearsome batting line-ups in IPL 2020 with KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal and Nicholas Pooran in the ranks. However, their bowlers let them down regularly. Except for Mohammed Shami, no pacer regularly featured in Punjab’s playing XI and the team owners should think about picking Sreesanth. Notably, the pacer has played for KXIP in the past and would not mind donning their jersey again.

While any official announcement is yet to come, IPL 2021 auction will reportedly take place on February 11. Hence, Sreesanth will get many more opportunities to impress the team owners. He’ll next take the field in Kerala’s fixture against Mumbai on January 13.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2021 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).