Speaking about the upcoming TATA IPL Mega Auction, JioCinema and Star Sports Network experts Robin Uthappa and Aakash Chopra shared their bold predictions and intriguing insights on it.

Aakash Chopra highlighted the immense value of wicketkeeper-batters, stating, “If you are a wicketkeeper batter, you mint money in the TATA IPL.” He further emphasised, “Indian players are going to be the prime property in this mega auction.” His top five picks, ranked by expected price, included Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Phil Salt.

Robin Uthappa, on the other hand, listed his top five as Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Trent Boult, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

When it came to top batters, Uthappa named Shreyas Iyer, David Warner, Faf du Plessis, Nehal Wadhera, and Ashutosh Sharma. He predicted, “DC will go hard for Shreyas Iyer, and he should go within the bracket of 15-20 crores, and du Plessis above 10 crores. Indian youngsters like Nehal Wadhera and Ashutosh Sharma are a big part and the reason for the success of any team, and you want them to do really well. I think they will go for above 8 crores each.”

Adding to the discussion, Chopra mentioned, “With Ricky Ponting being with Punjab Kings, I feel they will target Jake Fraser-McGurk, and they would be keen on having him.”

Discussing the top wicketkeepers, Uthappa expressed, “I feel Rishabh Pant will go at around 25-28 crores. He will definitely get the big bucks and become the highest-paid player in this auction. To afford Pant at such rates would be interesting to see, because I feel Punjab Kings may aim to get him, and so will RCB, for the role of leadership and as a wicketkeeper-batsman.”

Chopra echoed similar sentiments, saying, “I feel Rishabh Pant is going to become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL. If there is a good equation between Pant and Punjab Kings, then they will go hard for him, or else RCB becomes a very likely place for Rishabh Pant. But I believe other teams will also bid for Pant as well.”