There is a next-level tug of war going on between the new Ahmedabad and Lucknow franchise for the signature of players. The mega-auction is just one month away and both the franchises have yet to confirm their draft picks going ahead in IPL 2022.
There are rumors mulling around that Hardik Pandya will be very soon appointed as the skipper of Ahmedabad. Also, Ishan Kishan and Rashid Khan might also join the Ahmedabad-based franchise.
Rashid Khan to Ahmedabad, Hardik Pandya to lead
The former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra has come up with a reaction of Rashid Khan joining Ahmedabad over Lucknow and called it “a heist”. Indian commentator feels that it is going to be KL Rahul and Rashid Khan pairing up together in his opinion.
KL Rahul is expected to lead Lucknow based franchise and Rashid Khan is going to play under him.
“The news has come that Hardik Pandya is going to become the captain of the Ahmedabad franchise. There are talks of Ishan Kishan and Rashid Khan as well. That means Rashid Khan is not going to Lucknow, that’s a bit of a heist, in my opinion. The expectation was that Rahul and Rashid Khan will be there, but he is not there,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Chopra mentioned that both the teams have got a letter of intent from the BCCI. Now, they will very soon announce their top three picks for the upcoming edition. Also, he opined that picking David Warner among one of the top picks is also not a bad option. The southpaw already holds several records in the cash-rich league and he will be player to watch out in IPL 2022 after witnessing what SRH did with him in IPL 2021.
“The Ahmedabad franchise has been confirmed, they have already got the letter of intent. It is also confirmed that the auction will happen on February 12 and 13. But Hardik Pandya will be picked in the draft and he will be the captain. That’s phenomenal, this is very very good,” Chopra further said in the video.
“If Warner also wants to come into the auction and he doesn’t go to Lucknow, then Lucknow will be wondering whom to pick. There were rumors that Shreyas Iyer might go to Ahmedabad but probably that is also not happening,” he said.
