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.
590 players will go under the hammer across the two days of the 2022 IPL auction, and here are the five overseas fast bowlers who could grab the highest bids this year.
5. Trent Boult (Base Price: 2 crores)
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With Mitchell Starc opting out of the IPL this year, Trent Boult will be in high demand at the 2022 auction as the number one left-arm pacer available from the pool of players. Boult had an outstanding 2020 IPL season with Mumbai in the UAE, picking up 25 wickets in 15 matches and winning the man of the match award in the final. Boult also had a successful T20 World Cup with New Zealand – taking 13 scalps at an economy of 6.25 – and the 32-year-old could command a high price at the upcoming auction due to his devastating ability to pick up wickets with the new ball.
4. Josh Hazlewood (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Josh Hazlewood has improved leaps and bounds in recent years in the shortest format of the game and has quickly become one of the most lethal new ball bowlers in T20 cricket due to his height and accuracy. Hazlewood picked up 11 wickets in nine matches in the second half of the IPL season in the UAE for CSK and also played an instrumental role for Australia in their T20 World Cup victory in 2021, taking 11 wickets at an economy of 7.29.
3. Jofra Archer (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Jofra Archer was a surprise late addition to the 2022 IPL auction at a base price of INR 2 crores, but the Englishman is unlikely to be available for this year’s competition due to injury and has been registered with a view to his participation in 2023 and 2024. Some IPL teams may be reluctant to spend their purse on Archer in this auction as it would cost them an overseas player slot, but the Englishman could still attract plenty of bidders this year despite his unavailability due to his quality and record in the competition. The Englishman was named the IPL MVP in 2019 and has taken 46 wickets in 35 IPL matches at an economy of just 7.13.
2. Lockie Ferguson (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Lockie Ferguson is one of the fastest pacers in world cricket at the moment, and the Kiwi bowler could attract plenty of bids at the 2022 IPL auction due to his speed and accuracy. Ferguson can be an effective option in the powerplay, but the 30-year-old is also considered one of the best enforcers in T20 cricket who can ruffle up batters through the middle overs with his pace and bounce. Ferguson bagged 13 scalps in eight matches for KKR in IPL 2021 and accounting for the premium attached to overseas pacers in the Indian Premier League, Ferguson could end up as one of the highest-paid players in the auction.
1. Kagiso Rabada (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Kagiso Rabada has been one of the most impactful players in the IPL in recent years with the Delhi Capitals, picking up 76 wickets in 50 IPL matches at a strike rate of only 15. Although the South African had a surprisingly poor year by his standards in IPL 2021 – conceding the most sixes amongst all bowlers in the tournament – the 2020 Purple Cap winner is one of the premier pacers in international cricket who can bowl across all phases of the innings.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah