IPL 2022: 5 Lesser-known wrist spinners who can spark bidding wars in mega auction

It may be fine to say that T20 cricket has helped spinners of all kinds make their way back to high-level cricket. It was perhaps a scenario where spinners were fading away. T20 is a game where there is always pressure on the batters to take the aerial route to increase the scoring rate and post a good total on the board, and that’s when the spinners come into play.

In the history of the shortest format of the game, the spinners have been the most consistent performers. With the game getting more advanced and many new variations coming into the scene with the turning tracks in India, the importance of spinners is also rising. In the coming IPL season, all eyes will also be on the spinners to see how they are going to do justice with the tag of “SUPREME” given to them.

As per records, six of the top 10 wicket-takers in the history of the IPL are spinners, and Amit Mishra, Sunil Narine, and Rashid Khan have proven why there is so much fuss about spinners. All of the franchises will need a quality spinner in their side who can be used as a strike bowler for them. In recent years, unseen spinners such as Varun Chakravarthy and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have deceived batters and had seasons of a lifetime. Let’s talk about some of the-

Lesser-known spinners who can trigger bidding war in the 2022 IPL mega auction

1. Jake Lintott

After the revolution in English cricket, they are producing some quality T20 cricketers, and Jacob Benedict Lintott is one of them. The Hampshire cricketer is a Chinaman bowler, and he has been doing consistently well and can be a good deal for any franchise with the variations he brings to the table.

The 28-year old made his T20 debut in the 2017 NatWest T20 blast. To date, he has played 38 T20 games and has taken 44 wickets with an impressive bowling average of 20.84. The English batters tried to use him to prepare for Kuldeep Yadav for the 2018 tour, but he was unavailable.

The Chinaman has not appeared in any big T20 league and, thus, he is unseen and unpredictable. It will be interesting to see if any franchise shows interest in him and, if picked, how he will perform in the league.

2. Maheesh Theekshana

Morawakage Maheesh Theekshana is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-arm off-break bowler and is considered the next Lankan mystery bowler. Sri Lanka is known for producing quality mystery bowlers and he is referred to as the next mystery sensation in Sri Lankan cricket.

The finger spinner made his debut for Sri Lanka in September 2021 against South Africa. He has played 26 T20 games and has picked 22 wickets with a bowling average of 23.50. He had quite a few solid performances in the SLC invitational T20 league, which convinced the selectors to pick him for the South Africa series. He is also known for picking up a wicket on the first ball of his international career.

At 21, he is called the xerox of Ajantha Mendis, and some of the franchises can show interest in him. It will be a treat to see how the 2022 mega auction goes for the spinner.

3. Noor Ahmad

Another child prodigy from Afghanistan, Noor Ahmad, is only 16 years old but is now bursting into the scene. He was named in the St Lucia Zouks squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League and was signed by the Melbourne Renegades to play in the 2020–21 Big Bash League, and he also appeared for the Karachi Kings in the 2021 Pakistan Super League.

The Chinaman bowler has picked 25 wickets in the 25 T20 games he has played to date with a bowling average of 28.16. In July 2021, he was named in Afghanistan’s ODI squad for the series against Pakistan and is in the squad for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad.

With Afghan stars like Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman doing well in the league, Noor Ahmad could be the next name on the list and can get a good contract in 2022 IPL mega auction.

4. Jonathan Cook

The 31-year-old leg spinner from New South Wales, Australia, Jonathan David Cook, is a late bloomer in the cricketing world. He made his T20 debut when he was 29 years old in the 2018-19 Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder. As it is said, the wrong side of 30 is the right side of the experience.

The Aussie has played 24 T20s in which there are 24 wickets in his bank with a bowling average of 25.00. He can be a threat to the opposing teams as he has the ability to take wickets at crucial moments and give his teams the needed breakthroughs.

For the new teams like Lucknow and Ahmedabad, he could be a nice option to keep in the squad. Being less known is the best attribute he has to be picked in the auction. Let’s see how the auction goes for the leggie.

5. Hayden Walsh Jr.

 The Antiguan-American cricketer who has played international cricket both for the United States and the West Indies, Hyden Walsh Jr, has been quite a good performer in the shortest format. The leg-spinner made his T20 debut for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the 2018 Caribbean Premier League.

The 29-year-old leggie has played 55 games in which he has taken 53 wickets with a bowling average of 21.77 and a good economy of 7.93. 5/19 is his best career T20 spell to date. He can also contribute with his bat down the order.

He has shown his potential in T20 cricket and can be a nice package for any T20 team in the world. He has played some T20Is against India, but he is still very little known by many batters playing in the league.