3 teams who can target Reeza Hendricks in IPL 2024 Auction ft. Delhi Capitals
Reeza Hendricks, who has been around the South African national team for quite some time now, will feel that he has finally arrived at the international stage. His form in T20I cricket has been on the rise and he is in a purple patch of sorts at the moment.
His explosive and volatile nature at the top of the order makes him a big threat in the shortest format of the game, and this is precisely the reason why he is so widely revered as well as feared. Hendricks strikes at 131 in T20Is whereas in overall T20s, his strike rate is only a notch lower at 127.
Such strike rates at the top of the order are extremely desirable in the Indian Premier League. The 34-year-old will be much sought-after at the auction, which will be held on December 19 in Dubai.
We look at three IPL teams who can target Reeza Hendricks at the auction:
#1 Rajasthan Royals
Although the Rajasthan Royals have always prided themselves on producing home-grown talent, they can try to bag Reeza Hendricks in this auction to add some firepower at the top of the order. He fits into their mould and is most likely to buy into their philosophy as well.
The Royals would enjoy having Hendricks open the innings for them and hopefully get them off to fabulous starts. He will add a lot of value to the Royals, whose philosophy has always been to groom players and give them the freedom to express themselves on the field.
#2 Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals will think that they can get Reeza Hendricks to pair up with the explosive David Warner at the top of the order. This pairing is likely to send shockwaves throughout the tournament and might just be the push that the Capitals need to end their winless streak in the competition.
Prithvi Shaw or Yash Dhull are among the homegrown talents who may be preferred by the management in case they feel that they do not want to use two of their four allowed foreigners at the top of the order.
This might be the only thing going against Hendricks in the auction but the value he will bring to the Capitals' lineup cannot be discounted. The Capitals' thinktank may want him to bat at number three if the need arises.
#3 Punjab Kings
It goes without saying that the Punjab Kings are another franchise with whose philosophy Hendricks will align himself.
As of now, among their retained players, only Jonny Bairstow and Atharva Taide stand out as the sole openers.
Jitesh Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh can also be asked to open the innings but the addition of Hendricks to their squad will give them a lot of depth. He may be asked to open the innings along with Bairstow or even come in at number three.
Hendricks' explosive nature will go well along with the other foreigners in the side, including Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone and Bairstow himself. In many ways, he will fit like a glove into this Punjab Kings side.