While IPL franchises splashed the cash at the 2022 mega auction on marquee players such as Ishan Kishan, Liam Livingstone and Shreyas Iyer, the ten teams also made plenty of bargain buys, picking up players at prices way below their market value.
There have been plenty of players who have offered incredible value for their teams in the first season of the new auction cycle, and here are our five biggest bargains of IPL 2022.
5. N Tilak Varma – Mumbai Indians (INR 1.7 Cr)
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For 1.7 Cr, the Mumbai Indians signed one of the future batting stars in Indian cricket as Tilak Varma shocked the world in IPL 2022 with his audacious stroke play and maturity at the crease. Tilak Varma finished the season as Mumbai’s second-highest run-scorer, amassing 397 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36. More impressively, Varma was one of the best batters against spin in the entire tournament, striking at nearly 150 against the spinners at an incredible average of 186.
4. Kuldeep Yadav – Delhi Capitals (INR 2 Cr)
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The Delhi Capitals got a steal when they bought one of India’s premier wrist-spinners at the auction for a measly price of 2 Cr. While other spinners such as Rahul Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal fetched upwards of 5 Cr, the Capitals got incredible value for their money with Kuldeep Yadav, and the left-armer showed signs of a resurgence in IPL 2022. Yadav was the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, picking up 21 scalps at an average of 19 and a decent economy rate of 8.44.
3. Mukesh Choudhary – Chennai Super Kings (INR 20 Lakh)
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The Chennai Super Kings had a disappointing season in IPL 2022 as the defending champions lost ten of their 14 games to finish in ninth place. However, one of the shining lights in an otherwise forgettable campaign was the performances of pacer Mukesh Choudhary. Choudhary effectively replaced the injured Deepak Chahar as CSK’s lead bowler with the new ball, and the left-armer showed incredible promise with his ability to swing the ball in the powerplay. Although Choudhary was on the expensive end, he picked up 16 wickets in 13 games and finished the season with the second-most scalps in the powerplay (11) behind Mohammed Shami.
2. Jitesh Sharma – Punjab Kings (INR 20 Lakh)
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The Punjab Kings bought the hard-hitting Shahrukh Khan to play the finisher’s role at number six in the middle order, but after a disappointing start to the season, he was displaced by Jitesh Sharma, who proved to be a steal at Rs. 20 Lakh. Sharma seamlessly adapted to the Kings’ gung-ho batting approach, scoring 234 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 163. The wicket-keeper was equally impressive against pace and spin and played some incredible innings as a finisher against the Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals to give Punjab a chance of finishing in the final four.
1. Mohsin Khan – Lucknow Super Giants (INR 20 Lakh)
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The biggest bargain of the season in IPL 2022 has to be Mohsin Khan, who burst onto the scenes for the Lucknow Super Giants in the back half of the tournament. Khan finished the season with 14 wickets in just nine matches and displayed the perfect blend of accuracy and pace, clocking speeds up to 150kph with the new ball. The left-armer had the best average amongst all bowlers in the IPL with 10+ wickets (14.07) and the second-best economy rate for those who have bowled at least 30 overs this season (5.97).
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah