IPL 2018: Jacques Kallis Excited Ahead of Mega Auction

The excitement is reaching newer heights, as the much-anticipated mega-auction for the forthcoming Indian Premier League is just a couple of days away.

The much-awaited auction, which is set to be the biggest one since the inaugural season in 2008, will see a total of 578 players going under the hammer. The 578 players got selected from the list of 1,122 players who had put thrown their hats in the auction ring.

Out of the 578 players, 360 are Indian players and 218 foreign. With a total of 18 players already retained by the eight franchises, and there being squad size limit of 25, a maximum of 182 players (out of the 578) will be traded during the mega event in Bengaluru.

With the teams being allowed to retain a maximum of five players, the franchises will be witnessing a major overhaul of their teams ahead of the upcoming season. Not surprisingly, everyone is excited as the auction day is approaching fast and Jacques Kallis is no exception.

The legendary all-rounder and head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders took to Twitter to express his excitement, writing:

“Travel day today to India. Exciting few days ahead. IPL auction time this weekend. Who is @KKRiders gonna have playing for them this year.”

Travel day today to India. Exciting few days ahead. IPL auction time this weekend. Who is @KKRiders gonna have playing for them this year.

— Jacques Kallis (@jacqueskallis75) January 24, 2018

Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders have retained two players – Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. The two-time champions surprisingly released their talismanic skipper Gautam Gambhir who had changed the team’s fortunes after being bought by the franchise for a whopping amount of $2.4 million.

Under Gambhir’s captaincy, the Knight Riders qualified for the IPL playoffs and also made it to the Champions League Twenty20 for the first time in 2011. He eventually led the side to their first title win in 2012 by beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings. Two years later, he led the team to their second title, making the Knight Riders one of the most successful teams in the leagues. Even in the last season, he led the side to a third-place finish in the league.

Moreover, Gambhir was also the batting mainstay of the side since joining. In the seven seasons, he scored 3,035 runs with the help of 27 half-centuries.

The Knight Riders will have a chance to buy Gambhir in the auction through the Right to Match card, but several media reports are suggesting that it is highly unlikely. The Kolkata-based franchise has also released highly-rated chinaman spinner, Kuldeep Yadav.

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