IPL Auction 2022: “I think they are going to pick up David Warner as captain” - Brad Hogg predicts which new franchise might go for Aussie legend

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has predicted that Ahmedabad, one of the two new franchises for IPL 2022, might pick David Warner and even name him as their skipper.

Warner, who began IPL 2021 as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain, was sacked midway through the season and even dropped as a player from the franchise’s last few matches.

The 35-year-old answered his critics in a fitting way, smashing 289 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 146.70 in the T20 World Cup 2021. He was even named Player of the Tournament for his brilliant efforts as Australia lifted their maiden men’s T20 World Cup title.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg estimated that Ahmedabad could go for Warner, Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Ishan Kishan and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)’s Harshal Patel.

“Ahmedabad, I think they are going to pick up David Warner as the captain," he said. "They will have Ishan Kishan from Mumbai Indians and, I feel, they will have Harshal Patel from RCB on their list as well. They might even go with (Mohammed) Siraj. But Harshal will be the big one there.”

The deadline for existing IPL franchises to retain a maximum of four players is November 30. After that, the two new franchises - Ahmedabad and Lucknow - can pick players from December 1-25. Ahmedabad and Lucknow can pick two Indian players and one overseas player before the auction.

IPL Auction 2022: “Lucknow will go with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer” - Brad Hogg

Speaking about the Lucknow franchise, Hogg opined that they might pick the Indian duo of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Explaining his choice, the 50-year-old elaborated:

“I think Lucknow will go with only two players - KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. They are quality Indian batters. You have to go with an overseas player. I might think about going with (Jonny) Bairstow. So you have topped up your list with three quality batsmen before the auction comes. Then you are looking at going to the auction for picking up some quality bowlers.”

According to reports, both Rahul and Iyer have expressed their unwillingness to continue with their current franchises Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) respectively.