What’s the story?
Having released 11 players and with nearly INR 20 crore in the bank to purchase players, Rising Pune Supergiants are expected to be busy in the IPL Auction 2017 and top of their list of targets is likely to be a quality fast bowler who excels at the death. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada fits the bill perfect and looks poised to make his IPL debut.
The 21-year-old fast bowler has been a revelation ever since he made his international debut in 2015 and has made a name for himself as an impressive death bowler and also a wicket-taking option across all formats of the game.
With a base price of INR 1 crore, Rabada won’t come cheap but the fact that Pune have INR 19.10 crore remaining and are in need of addition in the fast bowling department is likely to mean that price won’t be a deterrent for MS Dhoni’ side.
Extra Cover: IPL Auction 2017: Complete list of players in the auction, PDF download
In case you didn’t know...
Kagiso Rabada has never played in the Indian Premier League but was one of the 351 players in the pool of players ahead of the IPL Auction 2017. The South African fast bowler picked up 81 international wickets in 2016 and it won’t be a surprise if he causes a bidding war even with a base price of INR 1 crore.
Rising Pune Supergiants will also be busy in the auction, having released 11 players including four fast bowlers and two fast bowling all-rounders which has reduced the number of pace options for MS Dhoni.
Details
MS Dhoni certainly knows all about Kagiso Rabada’s prowess at the death and with a side that is loaded with batsmen and not many quality bowlers (barring the spin department), that is one area that Rising Pune Supergiants will surely be looking to address.
And if there is one area that Dhoni’s side certainly needs to address, it is the fast bowling department, where they neither have the quality nor the quantity going into the tenth edition of the tournament.
So a quality fast bowler who is not only young but also has a wide array of skills that make him a complete package in the T20 format is something that Rising Pune Supergiants could certainly do with if they are to improve on their performance from 2016.
Extra Cover: Full list of players retained and released by the teams ahead of IPL Auction 2017
What’s next?
Kagiso Rabada is currently with the South African side who are touring New Zealand but on February 20, all eyes will be on the IPL Auction 2017, which will take place in Bengaluru. With several stars in the fray, it will be interesting to see if everyone gets the player they want.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Keen to playing in his maiden IPL, Kagiso Rabada is a bonafide star and one that will vastly improve the chances of whichever side he moves to. Considering the fact that he completes a part of the Rising Pune Supergiants puzzle, the move certainly makes a lot of sense. Not only does he provide a great option at the death but also potent new ball option with his ability to swing the ball. Early wickets and tight finishes with the ball was something that Pune didn’t have last season and the addition of Rabada certainly makes a lot of sense.
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