IPL 2022: There is definitely going to be a bidding war for Avesh Khan at mega auction, says R Ashwin

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday made a huge prediction, saying uncapped Indian pacer Avesh Khan will trigger a huge bidding war at the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction for the 2022 season.

Ashwin said that he can picture a bidding war for Avesh Khan just like Vijay Mallya had threatened to rope in the veteran off-spinner during the 2010 auction. Avesh, who was released by Delhi Capitals, has set his base price as INR 20 lakh for the auction and is among the first set of uncapped players in the auction pool that comprises 590 players.

Avesh has been one of the performers for the Delhi Capitals franchise since joining the team for INR 70 lakh a couple of years ago. Notably, the 25-year-old pacer ended the IPL 2021 as the second-highest wicket-taker, with Harshal Patel the only one ahead of him.

“There is definitely going to be a bidding war for Avesh Khan. No doubt about that. Guarantee. Just like how Vijay Mallya fought for me with CSK in 2010, I can picture a Parth Jindal or a Kiran Rao fighting it out for Avesh Khan this year. With whom will they fight? Well, that might be any team,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Avesh made his IPL debut in 2017 but only played one game. It was only in the 2021 season that he became a regular in the Delhi Capitals playing XI. In 16 matches for the franchise, he took 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.37.