IPL auction in Fidel Edwards' radar, 39-year-old WI pacer looks to emulate Sreesanth

With the IPL auction for the IPL 2021 season set to take place on February 18, a number of players — both new and old — have thrown their hats in the ring in the hopes of getting picked by one of the teams in the cash-rich league. Amidst the many well-known players and IPL veterans like Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell will be lesser-known ones like West Indies' Fidel Edwards, all jostling for a place in the eight IPL sides. Returning to the league after more than a decade, Edwards will be one of the oldest players in the auction. However, his recent vein of form will be an attraction for many teams who are on the hunt for a pacer this season. 

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Fidel Edwards eyes Sreesanth-style return; aims for IPL 2021 

With his long and satisfying tenure with the Hampshire County Club coming to an end, West Indies native Fidel Edwards has set his sights on a comeback for his national team. In additional to throwing him name in for the IPL auction, Edwards has also made himself available for the West Indies ahead of this year's ICC T20 World Cup. If selected, this will be the 39-year-old's first international match since 2012 when he played a Test match against Bangladesh. Edwards' last T20I game for the West Indies side came against Sri Lanka, also in 2012. 

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Despite this, the fast bowler does not have too many concerns over his age or lack of international experience. He claims that he feels fitter than ever before and his bowling does the rest of the talking for him. Currently representing the Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, Edwards bowled many of the fastest deliveries of the Caribbean Premier League season of 2020, crossing the 148 kph (92 mph) multiple times.

His last IPL game came in 2009, as a part of the now-defunct Deccan Chargers side. The major reason for Edwards' lack of visibility in the IPL post-2009 has to do with his 2015 contract with Hampshire. The contract required that Edwards make himself available for the entirety of the domestic English season which regularly clashed with the IPL. However, now that he is no longer associated with the group, Edwards is hoping to become one of the rare comeback stories of the IPL. 

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IPL auction 2021

The BCCI has announced that the IPL 2012 auctions will take place on February 18 in Chennai. The entire extravaganza can be watched live on Star Sports and the Disney+Hotstar app and website. The dates or possible locations for the IPL itself are not known yet.

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Image Credits: Fidel Edwards Twitter