"Faf du Plessis will be the most sought out player in the auction" - Brad Hogg predicts an intense bidding war for the veteran

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg feels several franchises will line up to acquire the services of Faf du Plessis.

The South African batter finished second in the IPL 2021 Orange Cap race, falling only a run short of fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad's tally.

The 37-year-old was not retained by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the mega auction. Purely a franchise cricketer at this point in time, du Plessis continues to be in good touch.

Hogg feels that while CSK will look to acquire their former player, they will face a stern test from the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:

"Du Plessis will be the most sought out player in the auction, because of his leadership skills. RCB, PBKS and KKR and CSK will go for him. He has leadership skills as well, which is why the other three teams will look to bring him in.

"He is very consistent at the top of the order as well. I reckon he could go for 7 Crore, could blow out to 11 crores, after especially what he did last year."

Hogg also predicted the fate of other marquee players at the auction. The former player believes a race involving three franchises could be in store for Shreyas Iyer.

He noted that Mohammad Shami and Kagiso Rabada would be hot properties at the auction as well and would go for a lot of money. He continued:

"Iyer is a consistent player, controls the innings, but also with his experience in captaining in the IPL, I think PBKS and RCB will go for Iyer, KKR might even have a dab as well. I think he will go for about 4 crores.

"Rabada, always bowling in those dangerous situations and he does the job well, picks up wickets, bowls with a reasonable economy. I think he should go for 4-5 Cr.

"All 10 teams will be very aggressive going after Shami, I wouldn't be surprised if he is up about the 5 Cr mark or more. Don't see Warner going for anything more than 4 Cr."

The IPL mega auction will take place on February 12 and 13. The 15th edition of the competition is scheduled to begin from March 27.

Teams might be shy of picking Cummins up: Hogg

Hogg feels due to Cummins' newfound responsibility as Australia's Test captain, franchises could be hesitant to bid for him. However, he reckons the pacer's quality is likely to generate a bid of up to INR 7.5 crore.

The former spinner also believes both R Ashwin and Trent Boult will fetch at least INR 5 crore in the auction.

"Ashwin, very economical with the ball, good lower order batter, last year did not pick up the wickets, but still a very valuable player. I think he will go for 5-7 crores.

"Next is Trent Boult, good swing bowler in the powerplay, picks up early wickets and is improving in the death. Everyone wants a left-armer, and you don't get too many of this high quality, I think he will go for 5 crore."

The 50-year-old added:

"Being Test captain of Australia, teams might be shy of picking Cummins up worried that he might pull out of the IPL, would be a huge investment, but he is quality with the ball. I think he is worth 7.5 crore."

All three players have represented the Delhi franchise at some stage in their careers. They are expected to be on the wishlist of several franchises at the auction.