IPL Auction 2021 is just a few weeks away. Generally, the auction occurs in December or January, but the BCCI has not announced a date for this year’s auction because they have not decided yet if a mega-auction will happen. Reports have stated that two new franchises will join the IPL in 2021.
If the IPL becomes a ten-team event, a mega-auction will happen because the two new teams will need many players. Even if a mega-auction does not occur, Australian wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade will be a sought-after commodity in the auction. The southpaw impressed a lot in the recently-concluded T20I series versus the Indian cricket team.
Wade scored consecutive fifties in the 2nd and the 3rd T20Is. Since he opens the innings and keeps the wickets, he could be an asset for any IPL team. Here are the five teams that can sign Matthew Wade in IPL Auction 2021.
1. The New IPL team
Starting the list with the most likely candidate to sign Matthew Wade, the new IPL team will need a wicket-keeper batsman. The franchise will also need a destructive opening pair. One of the openers for the team could be the Australian player Matthew Wade.
Reports have claimed that Ahmedabad and Uttar Pradesh will be the bases for the new franchises. If two new teams join the league, one will go for Matthew Wade in the IPL Auction 2021.
2. Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings need an opening batsman after Shane Watson retired from the IPL. Ruturaj Gaikwad has cemented his spot as an opener for CSK, but the second opening position is still for grabs.
Matthew Wade could be a great opening option for CSK. He can bat at the top of the order and keep the wickets when MS Dhoni is unavailable. Gaikwad, Wade, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, and MS Dhoni will form a fantastic Top 6 for CSK.
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore need a wicket-keeper batsman after Parthiv Patel hung up his boots. They already have two options in the squad – AB de Villiers and Joshua Philippe.
If de Villiers is ready to keep the wickets for RCB in all matches, then the franchise would not need another keeper. But if he needs some rest or is unavailable because of some reason, Matthew Wade could be a better option than Philippe. Also, Wade could open the innings with Devdutt Padikkal as Aaron Finch has struggled a lot in the IPL.
4. Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders could not form a match-winning combination in IPL 2020. Playing under Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan’s leadership, the Knight Riders finished at the fifth position. Since Karthik could not perform consistently with the bat, KKR will look for an alternative in that department.
Matthew Wade could join the franchise and open the innings with Shubman Gill. Nitish Rana could then take the number three spot, with Sunil Narine at number four and Eoin Morgan at number five. However, Wade’s presence will make an overseas players’ problem for KKR because they will have to include Pat Cummins and Andre Russell in the match squad. Still, KKR could sign Wade as a back-up keeper.
5. Delhi Capitals
In case you didn’t know, Delhi Capitals had signed Matthew Wade back in 2011. Unfortunately, the Delhi-based franchise did not retain the southpaw after the 2011 season because of his below-par performances. Still, they could repurchase him in the 2021 Auction.
The reason behind that is Rishabh Pant missed some matches in IPL 2020. In his absence, Alex Carey could not impress much. Since Carey has lost his place in the Australian T20I team to Matthew Wade, even Delhi might consider going for Wade by releasing Carey in the 2021 season.
