Gautam Gambhir Feels Anil Kumble Picked Sheldon Cottrell In Desperation

Who would have expected Sheldon Cottrell will be one of the costliest purchases in the IPL 2020 Auction? After his impressive show in ICC World Cup 2019, Sheldon Cottrell might have developed the craze for his ”Salute” celebration, but he is yet to prove his mettle in the shorter format of the game. Speaking of the same, Gautam Gambhir feels Anil Kumble picked Sheldon Cottrell in desperation.

The former IPL finalists signed Cottrell for a whopping INR 8.5 crore in the recently concluded IPL 2020 auction. Though there is no questioning on Cottrell’s fast bowling skills, the hefty price-tag has opened up a debate among the pundits and followers of IPL.

I don’t think Sheldon Cottrell is worth of 8.5 Crores – Gautam Gambhir

Sheldon Cottrell was on Thursday bought by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for a whopping INR 8.5 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. However, former India opener Gautam Gambhir reckoned Anil Kumble picked the Caribbean cricketer in desperation as they were not left with many options.

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Gautam Gambhir stated that Anil Kumble, the Director of Cricket Operations, didn’t have options to choose from after Morris and Cummins became two of the most expensive players in the auction. Further, he added that Sheldon Cottrell lacks accuracy and doesn’t suit the Mohali wicket.

“There were no better options, Pat Cummins and Chris Morris both were sold out – they tried hard to get (Chris) Morris, but it didn’t work. I still don’t think Sheldon Cottrell has enough quality to become an 8.5 Cr bowler,” Gautam Gambhir said as per IANS.

”He’s still to build on accuracy and speed yet that he can bowl at 145 speed; he can look at putting cutters, but that might not help at Mohali. I think Anil Kumble picked him up in desperation since they couldn’t get Chris Morris or Pat Cummins. If the demand is high and supply is low, these things happen,” he added.

Two of the top five costliest buys in IPL 2020 Auction came from Kings XI Punjab. They snapped in Glenn Maxwell for INR 10.75 Crores before buying Sheldon Cottrell. It would be interesting to see how the duo will perform for Kings XI Punjab under the new captaincy of KL Rahul.