Mohammed Azharuddeen names two teams who are favourites to go for him at IPL 2021 auction

Indian cricketer Mohammed Azharuddeen is one of the 292 players to be up for grabs at the Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) auction. Apparently, the 26-year-old has a franchise on his personal wish-list, as he himself revealed in a recent interview. Azharuddeen, who plays for Kerala in domestic cricket, enjoyed a rollicking outing in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 season.

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Mohammed Azharuddeen wants to play alongside Virat Kohli in IPL 2021

While speaking with InsideSport, Mohammed Azharuddeen was asked if he has any franchise preferences when it comes to playing in the IPL. The cricketer responded that he “would love” to bat with Virat Kohli, thus naming the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as his preferred franchise. However, Azharuddeen also said that he would happily play for any team that would want him. In fact, the batsman also claimed that Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) had recently called him for their annual trials that take place before every IPL auction, making them potential favourites to bag a deal with him.

Mohammed Azharuddeen Kerala player in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021

Opening the batting for Kerala, Mohammed Azharuddeen scored 214 runs across five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 tournament. He aggregated his runs at an average of 53.50 while maintaining a staggering strike-rate of 194.54 at the top of the order. In a match against Mumbai, he clubbed 137 runs from just 54 balls. The upcoming IPL auction 2021 is the second such event where Azharuddeen has registered his name.

Mohammed Azharuddeen Kerala player in action, watch video

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IPL auction 2021 updates

The forthcoming IPL auction is scheduled to take place in Chennai. The event is scheduled to be organised on Thursday, February 18, from 3 PM (IST). The live telecast of the auction will commence from 2 PM (IST) on the Star Sports Network. Moreover, the IPL auction live streaming will also be made available on the Disney+ Hotstar app.

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RCB list of released players 2021

The RCB franchise released 10 players from their previous squad. On the other hand, they retained 12 stars, including captain Virat Kohli and T20 dynamites AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal. Here is a look at all their retentions and releases ahead of the IPL auction 2021.

List of retained RCB players

A look into RCB list of released players 2021

Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Shivam Dube, Dale Steyn, Parthiv Patel and Umesh Yadav.

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Image source: BCCI Domestic and IPL Twitter