Aakash Chopra picks five Indian players to watch out for at the IPL 2021 Auction

Aakash Chopra has chosen five Indian players who could earn big at the IPL 2021 Auction.

The auction for this season's IPL is scheduled to take place in Chennai on Thursday. Although it is a mini-auction, a few cricketers are likely to rake in the moolah.

In a video shared on his Facebook page, Aakash Chopra has named the Indian players who could draw a lot of attention at the auction.

The renowned commentator's first pick was Shivam Dube. He even questioned Royal Challengers Bangalore's decision to release the seam-bowling all-rounder ahead of the IPL 2021 Auction.

"My No.1 pick is Shivam Dube. It is beyond my understanding why RCB left him because only he brings that skill, fast bowling and the ability to hit sixes. We have only three such players in India - Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube. I feel he can go for 8-10 crores. I feel he can go to Kings XI Punjab, KKR or even RCB, but why did they leave him," said Chopra.

Aakash Chopra chose Krishnappa Gowtham as another Indian player who could be on the radar of several teams at the IPL auction. The Karnataka off-spinner possesses the ability to score quickfire runs as well.

"My second player is Krishnappa Gowtham. He was left by Punjab and may go for 5-6 crores. Chennai does not have an off-spinner. If they don't get Moeen Ali or Maxwell, Gowtham will be in their scheme of things. He is a Bangalore boy, so could be in RCB's scheme of things. Punjab have left him but they can also think about him. So can RR and actually all the teams, he is that kind of a player," added Chopra.

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Aakash Chopra's other three Indian players to watch out for at the IPL 2021 Auction

Mohammed Azharuddeen could be a sought after player at the IPL 2021 Auction

Aakash Chopra believes the lack of quality Indian seam bowling options at the auction might help Umesh Yadav earn big.

"The third player I am thinking is Umesh Yadav. I can understand why RCB left him but he will be sold expensive because a lot of teams do not have fast bowlers, whether it is Punjab Kings, RR or even RCB. So, I feel he will rake in the moolah. There is Varun Aaron and Ankit Rajpoot but Umesh Yadav will be an automatic choice ahead of them," said the 43-year-old.

The former Kolkata Knight Riders player feels Tamil Nadu's big-hitting batsman Shahrukh Khan could be hot property at the IPL 2021 Auction.

"At No.4 I am thinking about Shahrukh Khan. He bats down the order and performed well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He plays the big shots. Shahrukh could even go to Shahrukh's team as they need a lower-middle order batsman. Kings XI and RCB can also have interest in him."

Mohammed Azharuddeen was Aakash Chopra's final pick. He feels the Kerala opening batsman could also earn big at the IPL 2021 Auction.

"Mohammed Azharuddeen could also get a lot of money. He demolished the Mumbai attack in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy while playing for Kerala. He scored an individual hundred in 10 overs. If you bat so well, you come in everyone's sights. I hope he has a good auction."

Wah Azharudeen , behtareen ! To score like that against Mumbai was some effort. 137* of 54 and finishing the job on hand. Enjoyed this innings.#SyedMushtaqAliT20 pic.twitter.com/VrQk5v8PPB

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 13, 2021

Besides the aforementioned players, experienced cricketers like Kedar Jadhav and Harbhajan Singh could be much sought after at the IPL 2021 Auction. The likes of Kedar Devdhar and Lukman Meriwala, who performed brilliantly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, could also interest several IPL franchises.