Registered as a batter, owing to a goof-up by his manager during the player auction registration, Green is expected to be hotly pursued by both KKR and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when the real auction begins at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI knew CSK would also go after a middle-order all-rounder. I thought they would go somewhere around 25\u201328 crore. Realistically, I think they would go up to around Rs 20 crore in the actual auction, because they would want to keep space for other Indian and overseas players as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut in the mock auctions, I was ready to go up to 35 crore for a player like Green. I think Cameron Green should bat at No. 3 in the order,\u201d said JioStar expert and former India player Robin Uthappa, who was the KKR representative in the mock auction held on Monday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the mock auction, Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana was picked by KKR for 13 crore. \u201cIt\u2019s all about planning and keeping things simple. We needed a good death bowler. With the kind of coaching staff KKR have, Pathirana can be very effective at the death. He has been a little off colour recently and has gone back into the auction pool, which I think will make him more motivated to perform.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cA change of franchise can also help. With Pathirana, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora, if you\u2019re asking who bats in the first XI, it would be Vaibhav Arora. Also, Varun has been working on his batting, he\u2019s not too far away from clearing the ropes either,\u201d added Uthappa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Former India cricketer Suresh Raina, who was CSK\u2019s representative in the mock exercise, commented on picking Sarfaraz Khan for Rs 7 crore. \u201cI think he is in great form. We saw earlier that when Venkatesh Iyer was bought for a big amount, the form wasn\u2019t quite there. Sarfaraz, on the other hand, is batting really well right now. You don\u2019t get that kind of player easily\u2014the range of shots he plays, the confidence he has.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe form Sarfaraz is in, even if he plays four or six matches and wins you two games, that 7 crore will be fully justified. After his first-class performances, he has also been included in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is a form player, following a process. Chennai\u2019s wicket is technically sound, and if he gets set in a system like CSK, where the focus is on winning games, I think CSK will benefit greatly from his form.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On CSK\u2019s overall auction strategy executed by him, Raina explained picking leg-spinners Rahul Chahar and Wanindu Hasaranga, as well as pacer Anrich Nortje. \u201cI think we have addressed key areas in the auction war room. We picked Rahul Chahar as a leg-spinner and Wanindu Hasaranga because we don\u2019t have Jadeja and Ashwin. We also strengthened our pace attack\u2014Anrich Nortje is there, he has pace and can bowl yorkers consistently.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe form Sarfaraz is in, even if he plays four or six matches and wins you two games, that 7 crore will be fully justified. After his first-class performances, he has also been included in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is a form player, following a process. Chennai\u2019s wicket is technically sound, and if he gets set in a system like CSK, where the focus is on winning games, I think CSK will benefit greatly from his form.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYou need that fire\u2014players who go out and express themselves fearlessly. In the main auction, many more players will be available. CSK may even look to buy Matheesha Pathirana again, given their concern around death bowling. That will be one of their key focus areas,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n