The highly-anticipated mega IPL Auction returns to our TV screens in 2022 for the first time in four years on the 12th and 13th of February in Bengaluru. A total of 33 players have already been retained by the ten IPL teams, and a further 217 can be bought by the franchisees at the auction, with a maximum of 70 overseas players slots available.
1214 players have registered themselves for the 2022 IPL auction, including Indian and international stars like David Warner, Pat Cummins and R Ashwin. In the batting department, there are plenty of cricketers who could cause a bidding war and here are ten batters to watch out for at the 2022 IPL auction.
1. Shikhar Dhawan (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most consistent batters in the Indian Premier League over the past few seasons, scoring over 500 runs in the past three years for the Delhi Capitals. At age 36, Dhawan is also one of the most experienced Indian players in the IPL auction and could be a captaincy candidate for teams such as Punjab or Kolkata that desperately need a leader.
2. Ishan Kishan (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Ishan Kishan is one of the most explosive young Indian batters left in the IPL auction, and the left-hander could attract interest from all the IPL teams in 2022, given his age and all-round skills. Kishan was one of the most pivotal cogs in the Mumbai Indians side that won back-to-back IPL titles in 2019 and 2020, and the keeper-batsman has also gone on to make his debut for India, scoring a half-century on debut.
3. David Warner (Base Price: 2 crores)
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The man of the tournament from the 2021 T20 World Cup will be in high demand at the 2022 IPL auction after being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Barring a rare lean patch in the 2021 season, Warner has been one of the top five openers in the competition’s history, leading SRH to their maiden IPL title in 2016 and scoring over 500 runs in six consecutive seasons between 2014 to 2020.
4. Quinton de Kock (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Quinton de Kock is widely regarded as one of the best wicket-keeper-batsmen in T20 cricket, and the two-time IPL champion is one of the biggest names present in the 2022 IPL auction after being released by Mumbai. De Kock has been in excellent form in white-ball cricket after his recent shock retirement in Tests, and the former South African captain also offers plenty of experience and leadership from behind the stumps.
5. Devdutt Padikkal (Base Price: 2 crore)
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Devdutt Padikkal is one of the most promising young Indian batters in domestic cricket, and the stylish left-hander has already enjoyed an excellent start to his IPL career, winning the emerging player award in IPL 2020. The former RCB opener also scored 411 runs in his sophomore season with the team in 2021 and has listed himself at the highest base price of INR 2 crore for the upcoming IPL auction in February.
6. Faf du Plessis (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Faf du Plessis was one of the stars of the 2021 season for the Chennai Super Kings, scoring 633 runs in 16 matches to help MS Dhoni’s men win their fourth title. The South African also scored 449 runs at a strike rate of 140 in 2020, and considering his international pedigree there will be plenty of bidders for the 37-year-old in the upcoming IPL auction.
7. Jonny Bairstow (Base Price: 1.5 crores)
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Jonny Bairstow is one of the most destructive limited-overs batters in world cricket, and the Englishman boasts an outstanding Indian Premier League record with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, averaging 41 at a strike rate of 142 in 28 matches. Bairstow also provides teams with a wicket-keeping option at the top of the order and is one of the most devastating spin-hitters in the game, making him an ideal opening partner alongside Virat Kohli at RCB or Prithvi Shaw at Delhi.
8. Shreyas Iyer (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Shreyas Iyer was not retained by the Delhi Capitals for IPL 2022, making him one of the most high-profile Indian names to be put back into the main auction pool this year. Although Iyer’s strike rate and game against pace bowling is a worry, the former Delhi Capitals skipper is one of the few viable Indian captains left in the IPL auction and could be a target for teams like Kolkata or Bangalore.
9. Rassie van der Dussen (Base Price: 1 crore)
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Given his excellent recent performances against India, Rassie van der Dussen will attract plenty of attention from IPL teams at the upcoming auction. Although the South African is yet to play in the IPL, van der Dussen is number eight in the ICC T20 batter rankings and has an impressive record for his country in the shortest format with an average of 38 at a strike rate of 130.
10. Manish Pandey (Base Price: 1 crore)
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Manish Pandey was picked up as the most expensive buy in the previous mega IPL auction at 11 crores, but the India batsman failed to live up to the price tag for SRH, averaging just 35 at a strike rate of 124 for the Men in Orange. However, despite his recent troubles, Pandey is still one of the top Indian talents in the auction and could offer great value to IPL teams like Ahmedabad and Punjab that need local top-order batters.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah