The auction will be held on February 18 for the 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Regarding this, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir said that this time most teams will be eyeing on all-rounders. So far West Indies player Andre Russell has been the league's hero, but Gambhir believes that New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson could become the second Russell this time.
Jamieson has not played the IPL yet. His base price has been kept at 75 lakh rupees. Gambhir believes that this time all the franchises can stake a big claim on Jameson.
Talking on Star Sports, Gambhir said, "Kyle Jamieson is not a big name at the moment, but he will turn out to be a superstar. This is probably the right auction for all franchises to get a hold of him. And because he is someone whom you can keep for a longer period of time. He is seven feet, he is that tall. He can bowl 140 and can hit the ball long. He probably could be the next Andre Russell in the making."
"Yes, he's not a finished product and everyone knows about it, but is someone who is probably young and you can have that core built around him. A franchise like Kings XI (Punjab Kings) who are looking for that all-rounder or some other franchise, they can think of someone like Jamieson."
"Even Sunrisers, because he is someone who can bowl with the new ball, and can bat at No. 6 and 7 and can hit the long ball against spin and fast bowling. He's a great asset and he's going to get better from here," added Gambhir.
Gambhir also went on to say, "It's not as if he's reached his peak. There are players like Russell and Morris, who have already reached their peak. They can't get better than this. But with Jamieson, there will always be this thing where he'll keep improving. This is his first experience in India, he'll only start getting better from here on. So it will be a great addition if someone can pick him and keep him for a long time."