IPL 2021: 3 teams that can sign Kedar Jadhav in the auction

IPL 2021: 3 teams that can sign Kedar Jadhav in the auction

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Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav had a torrid time in the Indian Premier League 2020 for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the 8 matches that he played in, the Indian international could score only 62 runs. To add to his woes, he didn’t hit a single six throughout the edition and in the field too he couldn’t contribute much, completing just one catch. The Maharashtra batsman came under tremendous criticism from fans due to his poor showing.

His poor form mirrored that of his franchise as well as they finished outside the playoff spots for the first time ever in their history. With an eye on the 2021 auction, the side has now released 6 players which includes Jadhav. With the auction set to take place on February 18 in Chennai, there is a good chance Jadhav could go unsold but there will be teams who might consider getting him to shore up their middle-order or to have a good back-up option.

We take a look at three teams that might go for Kedar Jadhav in the auction.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finished in third place last season after staging a remarkable comeback following a slow start to the tournament. Their line-up looks settled for now and their retention policy showed that they didn’t have much to change as they retained a huge chunk of their squad. However, an additional Indian middle-order batsman might be required by the franchise.

Priyam Garg and Abdul Samad were the Indian middle-order batters who featured prominently last season and while the latter did show glimpses of his big-hitting abilities, the former flattered to deceive. Kedar Jadhav might be an option SRH could consider to bring in an Indian middle-order batsman and even if he isn’t trusted to be in the playing XI, he could be a good back-up option.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) chose to chop and change a great deal in the retention window as they retained only 12 players before signing Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel through the trade window. Out of the released players, it was noteworthy that the Indian middle-order batsman who featured in 2020, Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Shivam Dube were released.

Kedar Jadhav could be roped in as a replacement for the duo in the auction. Further, the 35-year-old has already appeared for RCB, in 2016. If the franchise signs better middle-order options from India, Jadhav could still offer a solid back-up option again.

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had the most interesting season among all teams in the 2020 IPL. After a horrendous start when they seemed down and out with nothing seeming to go their way, they staged a remarkable comeback to get into the fray to reach the playoffs. However, they faltered in their final league match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to crash out of the tournament.

KXIP’s top-order looks perfectly sorted with a plethora of T20 specialists but their middle-order lacks firepower especially after the release of Glenn Maxwell and Jimmy Neesham. The likes of Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan and Deepak Hooda weren’t able to make huge statements with their performances last year. Kedar Jadhav could hence, be a solid buy as an option in the middle-order.

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