IPL 2024 retentions have created a stir and sparked the craze among the fans for the upcoming edition of the biggest T20 league in the world. The retentions brought many surprises as Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya moved back to his old franchise Mumbai Indians while Cameron Green was traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore. After witnessing such shocking retentions and some breathtaking performances during the ODI World Cup 2023, the fans are now eagerly waiting for the mini auctions, which are slated to be held on December 19 in Mumbai.
As Australia pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have also made themselves available for the auctions, it will be an intense battle among the franchises to acquire them. India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin stated that the two pacers will be on every team's list.
"Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are the only two fresh guys. Though there are guys like Rachin Ravindra, Gerald Coetzee, and a few other names, it looks pretty sure that these are the two names everybody wants to acquire. The Ashes are going to come, as is the T20 World Cup, and there is a heavy chance that Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are going to pull out of the tournament, and it is there in their histories," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
Starc played his last IPL match in 2015 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore while Starc played his last match in 2022 for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Ashwin further predicted that Mumbai Indians might go for South Africa pacer Gerald Coetzee, who scalped 20 wickets in 8 matches in the ODI World Cup 2023.
"Gerald Coetzee is a very Mumbai Indians player. That blue jersey with gold on him, bowling at the Wankhede Stadium, bustling in-he looks like an MI sort of a player. If they don't get anybody, I think they are going for him. In my view, they might not even go for Mitchell Starc," said Ashwin.