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 with a total of 48 players in the top bracket of INR 2 crore, including the likes of David Warner, Pat Cummins as well as the latest edition Jofra Archer.
Amongst the spinners, the two new teams – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – have already retained Rashid Khan and Ravi Bishnoi with their draft picks, but there are plenty of other names still available such as Rahul Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Here are the five spinners who could grab the highest bids at the 2022 IPL Auction.
1. Yuzvendra Chahal (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to be the most in-demand spinner at the 2022 IPL auction, given his phenomenal record in RCB colours over the past eight years. Chahal is the third-most successful leg-spinner in IPL history behind Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla and has taken at least 18 wickets in each of the last three seasons. The 31-year-old has also played over 50 T20I’s for India and could be the subject of a major bidding war from the ten IPL teams at the auction, given his experience and skillset in T20 cricket.
2. R Ashwin (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Ravichandran Ashwin recently made his comeback into the Indian white-ball team for the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the off-spinner has had a couple of excellent IPL seasons with the ball for the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. Ashwin is amongst the top ten wicket-takers in IPL history and has an excellent economy rate of just 6.91 in the competition. Ashwin will be part of the first marquee set of players who will go under the hammer in the auction, and his experience and leadership could also make him a captaincy candidate for teams such as Kolkata or Bangalore.
3. Rahul Chahar (Base Price: 75 lakhs)
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Rahul Chahar was one of the pivotal cogs in the Mumbai Indians side that won consecutive IPL titles in 2019 and 2020, and the leg-spinner has picked up 41 wickets in 38 matches for the five-time IPL champions. Chahar has also impressed in the six matches he played for India in the shortest format, and at 22-years old, the former Mumbai Indians star could be targeted by plenty of IPL teams as they look to build their core for the following 2-3 auction cycles.
4. Washington Sundar (Base Price: 1.5 crores)
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Having not played for India or in the IPL since May 2021, Washington Sundar has flown slightly under the radar in the lead up to the auction, but the off-spinner is still one of the most promising spinners in Indian cricket. Sundar has an excellent economy of just 6.9 in 42 IPL matches, and the 22-year-old ability to bowl in the powerplay makes him an excellent match-up against left-handed openers. Moreover, Sundar offers some batting depth to the team at number eight and is already experienced at the highest level, having played 31 T20I’s for India.
5. Adam Zampa (Base Price: 2 crores)
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Foreign spinners find it very difficult to earn a spot in the IPL given the local talent pool, but Adam Zampa warrants an IPL contract in 2022, given his outstanding performances for Australia in recent years. Zampa played a starring role in Australia’s T20 World Cup win in the UAE – picking up the most wickets in the competition – and the leg-spinner also has an excellent IPL record, picking up 21 wickets in 14 matches.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah