"Brace yourself to see him in yellow" - Ravichandran Ashwin backs CSK to plunge for Karun Nair in IPL 2024 auction

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expects the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to go hard for out-of-favor Indian batter Karun Nair in the IPL 2024 auction. The 37-year-old believes that CSK could replace the now-retired Ambati Rayudu with Nair.

Following an excellent start to his first-class career, Nair struck gold when he became the second Indian batter after Virender Sehwag to score a triple-century. What made the knock more remarkable was that it came on his Test debut and in Chennai, which Ashwin believes will factor into CSK plunging for the right-hander.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin picked Chennai to pick Nair in the upcoming auction, going by their history.

"I have a feeling that they will invest it on Karun Nair," Ravichandran Ashwin said. "They are searching for a replacement for Ambati Rayudu. Shahrukh is not a replacement for him at No.4.

"I have no idea who they are going to play in that position this season. They might try a left-hand option but if you look at CSK's track record, they have never gone for an unknown commodity. They have never played anybody who just did well in their first season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So Karun Nair, folks, brace yourself to see him in yellow."

Despite poor returns in the last few domestic seasons, Karun Nair regained form with an impressive showing in the County Championship for Northamptonshire. The right-hander scored 249 runs in three games at an average of 83, including a century and a fifty.

"He is somebody who can play spin well, who could sweep and reverse sweep," Ashwin continued. "MS Dhoni loves it when there is a batter who can play between the top order and the middle order in the No.4 slot, especially in Chennai.

"I feel Karun Nair is perfect for that. I haven't really seen Manish Pandey play spin too much in Chennai but Karun Nair, remember has a triple hundred in a Test match played in Chennai."

Since 2019, Karun Nair has played only eight games in the IPL with dismal returns, averaging just over five runs. His last IPL outing came for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2022. Nair did not play a single game for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after coming in as a replacement for the injured KL Rahul last season.

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"He could also go to SRH" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Karun Nair

SRH endured a horrendous 2023 IPL season.

Ravichandran Ashwin also picked SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) as a possible destination for Karun Nair in the upcoming IPL season. Despite boasting some of the biggest Indian and international stars, the franchise struggled last season, finishing at the bottom of the table.

Nair is coming off a sparkling performance in the recent Maharaja Trophy. He finished as the leading run-scorer with 532 runs in 12 games at an average of 48.36 and a strike rate of 162.69.

"He could also go to SRH, there will definitely be competition so he could go for a decent price," Ashwin added. "He has also done well in County cricket recently. He has had a tough time in the last few years.

"It is not easy, you score a triple century in Test cricket and all of a sudden you find yourself nowhere. That is very difficult for any person's mental make up but he has fought it out so hats off Karun. He did well in the KPL as well so, it all looks good for him."

Nair has set a base price of only ₹50 lakh going into the auction, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai on December 19.

The 31-year-old has played 76 IPL games, scoring almost 1,500 runs at an average of 23.75 with 10 half-centuries.