Even if Auqib Nabi is purchased by any team in the IPL 2026 auction, which is set for December 16 in Abu Dhabi, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin believes he may continue to be used as a backup pacer.
Ashwin emphasised that Auqib and other quick bowlers will be targeted by the teams. Additionally, he predicted that in order to bolster their team, his old team, CSK, may go all out for all-around players like Liam Livingstone and Venkatesh Iyer.
“Fast bowlers will be highly sought after in this specific auction. To restate, Umesh Yadav may receive some bids as well. due to the high demand and little supply. Franchises are also quite wealthy. There will be desire for someone like Auqib Nabi, but I’m not sure if he’ll be selected and play. He will be used as a backup bowler even if CSK selects him. Venkatesh Iyer will be CSK’s top focus. Maxwell would have been their first choice for the other seat.
“It will be Livingstone now that he’s out,” Ashwin said in a video posted to his YouTube page.
The former CSK champion also discussed the rationale behind CSK’s decision to fire Matheesha Pathirana of Sri Lanka.
“CSK’s decision to release Pathirana was highly calculated. Even before his release, the majority of teams believed Andre Russell would be up for auction. CSK intended to select Cameron Green or Russell in light of this. However, they had little chance with 30 crores, therefore Matheesha Pathirana appeared to be a clear release,” he continued.
In addition to Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi, C Andre Siddarth, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shaik Rasheed, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were released by CSK, which has a purse of INR 43.40 crore.
Sanju Samson was dealt to the Rajasthan Royals for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Seeing how the Men in Yellow plan their selections during the auction will be fascinating. For the first time in IPL 2025, CSK finished last in the points standings.
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