IPL 2022: 5 Players who deserved a better sold price in mega auction

The mega auction for the upcoming edition of the IPL 2022 took place over the last weekend. As many as 600 players were set to go under the hammer. 10 players had registered in the marquee list. All the teams got into some serious bidding duels to try and acquire the services of the player who they thought would be key to their side’s success in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.

Mumbai Indians made the most expensive buy in this year’s auction as they went all out to buy wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan for a whopping price of INR 15.25 Crores. Deepak Chahar became the second most expensive buy after he was brought for a hefty sum of INR 14 Crores. While some players were sold for much more than what was expected, some players who were expected to go for big bucks went for a much lower price.

Let’s take a look at some players who deserved a much better-sold price:

1. David Warner (INR 6.25 crore)

Heading into the auction, David Warner was one of the most anticipated names to raise a big bidding battle between all the sides. Over the years, Warner has made a reputation for himself as someone who always looks to go after the bowling.

However, the southpaw did not go for the price he was expected to be sold for. With a base price set of INR 2 Crores, Warner’s name started a bidding war between Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians before he was brought by the Delhi based franchise for INR 6.25 crore. The southpaw was expected to go for a lot more than what he actually went for.

In 150 appearances in IPL, Warner has scored 5449 runs, the most ever by any overseas player, at an average of 41.59 and a strike rate of 139.96. His tally includes four centuries, the second-most by any player in IPL after Virat Kohli (5), and 54 half-centuries, the most in the league.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal (INR 6.5 crore)

Yuzvendra Chahal was one of the premier bowlers in RCB’s bowling lineup. He was also part of Mumbai Indians from IPL 2011 to 2013. The leg spinner did not play any game for the team during these three seasons. Later in the 2014 edition, he was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Chahal had his best season with the RCB in 2015 and 2016 when he grabbed 23 and 21 wickets respectively. He had continued to remain one of the mainstays of RCB over the years until this year when he wasn’t retained by the franchise. In IPL 2021, Chahal was impressive with his bowling in the UAE leg. His wicket-taking abilities helped Royal Challengers Bangalore to win a few games.

It was surprising to see RCB not bidding for him even once in order to get back their premier spinner. Mumbai and Delhi locked horns to acquire the services of the leg-spinner before Rajasthan Royals brought him for INR 6.50 Crores. Certainly, given his reputation and performances, Chahal deserved more price.

3. Jason Roy (INR 2 crore)

One of the biggest bargains of this IPL has been the aggressive England opener, Jason Roy. Roy has been in tremendous form in the PSL. He recently hit a century in the tournament as well and followed it up with a quickfire fifty in the next match itself.

Jason Roy’s name was expected to force a lot of teams to raise their paddles as many of the teams were lacking a powerful batter at the top of the order. However, Roy’s bid did not budge an inch beyond his set base price of INR 2 Crore and he was acquired for his base price itself by Gujarat Titans.

Even if it was for brief period, the batter from Surrey had his best IPL last season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the 5 matches that he played with them, Roy scored 150 runs at an average of 30 with a strike rate of 123.96 with one fifty-plus score.

4. Manish Pandey (INR 4.6 crore)

One of the most surprising names that went for a lot lower than he should have was that of Manish Pandey. The Karnataka batter came into the auction with a base price of INR 1 Crore. Pandey has been a part of all the IPL editions up till now.

He made headlines in 2009 when he became the first Indian batter to score a century in the IPL. An unbeaten 114 off 73 deliveries to propel the Royal Challengers Bangalore into the knockouts. He has played for five franchises over the years- Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune Warriors India, Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Pandey’s name initiated a bidding duel between his previous franchise SRH and the Delhi Capitals but it was not long before SRH withdrew from the bidding. Later Lucknow entered the bidding duel and bagged the middle-order Indian batter for a not so big price of INR 4.60 Crores.

5. Quinton de Kock (INR 6.75 crore)

The last on this list of players whose sold price did not meet their potential is the talented South African batter, Quinton de Kock. De Kock was one of the marquee players who had a base price of INR 2 Crores.

The left-hander has played 77 matches throughout his career in the IPL scoring 2256 runs at an impressive strike rate of almost 131. De Kock has played for 4 franchises up till now- Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Mumbai Indians.

It was certain that given the run he had with the Mumbai Indians, teams would be ready to break their bank for him. However, after a brief bidding battle between Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, and the Lucknow Super Giants, the Lucknow franchise signed him up for INR 6.75 Crores, which was a lot lower than what was expected for him.