A final list of cricketers set to go under the hammer for the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League was unveiled on February 1 by the BCCI and IPL governing council. As many as 590 cricketers will be up for grabs at the two-day mega auction to be held in Bangalore on February 12 & 13.
These 590 names are divided into 228 capped international stars, 355 uncapped players and seven cricketers who belong to ICC’s associate member nations. Expected to be bigger and better this year, the Indian Premier League 2022 will be lit up with the presence of some of the world’s best Indian and overseas cricketers.
“A fierce battle to acquire the services of some of the finest Indian cricketing talent is on the cards when the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, R Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Ishan Kishan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, etc. go under the hammer,”
an IPL statement read.
The IPL 2022 will see the league’s expansion into a ten-team event, with two news teams – Lucknow Super Giants and Ahmedabad IPL franchise – set to join the existing eight franchises, namely Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals.
Apart from some of the big-name Indian players, there will be a plethora of overseas giants up for grabs as well. This lot features well-established IPL stars such as Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Quinton de Kock, Jonny Bairstow, Faf du Plessis, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Shakib Al Hasan and Wanindu Hasaranga, among many others from outside India.
The pool of players to be up for auction will be of those who weren’t retained by the existing eight franchises or signed by the two new teams. While the established teams made 27 retentions, Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises made their three pre-auction signings each.
That, however, doesn’t mean there will be any less action or the bidding battle will be any less intense across the two days. In a mega auction, teams will have to partly think about the coming season and partly about the overall next three-year cycle. Any hiccups at the auction would mean potentially conceding ground before even entering the field.
Also read 👉 Du Plessis, Bravo, Ashwin among 49 players registered for IPL 2022 auction with maximum base prize
Beyond the marquee Indian and overseas stars, teams will be keenly looking at the set of fringe players from India and abroad as well as the U19 players who have showcased their talent to the world via the ongoing youth World Cup in the Caribbean.
IPL franchises will have their eyes on the likes of Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravi Kumar among others part of India’s U19 squad.
“Rs 2 crore is the highest reserve price and as many as 48 players have chosen to place themselves in this bracket.
There are 20 players in the auction list with a reserve price of Rs 1.5 crore while 34 players are in the list of cricketers with a reserve price of Rs 1 crore,”
the IPL statement confirmed.
A country-wise breakdown of overseas players set to go under the hammer for IPL 2022 suggests the highest player non-Indian participation at the auction is from Australia with 47 players, followed by West Indies (34), South Africa (33), England (24), New Zealand (24).
There will be 23 players from Sri Lanka, 17 players from Afghanistan, 5 each from Bangladesh and Ireland, followed by cricketers from Namibia (3), Scotland (2), Zimbabwe (1), Nepal (1), USA (1).
