Coetzee Shines Ahead of IPL Auction, Impresses Experts
Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, South African all-rounder Gerald Coetzee is making waves with his impressive performances. The 24-year-old, who was recently not retained by Mumbai Indians, will now enter the auction set to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25.
Coetzee, a right-arm pacer with a handy batting ability, has set his base price at INR 1.25 crore. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who was recently appointed as the batting coach and mentor for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL team, has predicted that Coetzee will secure a lucrative pay cheque in the upcoming auction.
“I don’t know much Cricket South Africa board are paying him, but I am sure he will take a fat pay cheque in a couple of weeks’ time. He is impressing one and all. He is a thinking cricketer, and has worked on his batting. He is not just a one-trick pony,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Karthik has been impressed by Coetzee’s performances in the ongoing four-match T20I series against India. In the second T20I, when the Proteas were in a spot of bother while chasing 125, Coetzee’s quickfire 19-run knock helped the hosts get over the line. He had also scored 23 runs in the first T20I. Coetzee has so far taken four wickets in the series, with three scalps coming in the first match.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who was recently appointed as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants, also praised Coetzee’s all-round abilities.
“Lot of power there in his batting. Looks like he is preparing himself to play this kind of role. Looks like, he is someone who puts in a lot of effort to fulfill this role. He wants to contribute right through the game, and this is what stands out with him. Not with the bat, with the ball also, he wants to contribute,” Zaheer Khan told Cricbuzz.
In the 2022 IPL season, Coetzee played 10 matches for Mumbai Indians, taking 13 wickets and scoring 14 runs.
🔗 Source