IPL 2022: Most expensive player for each team from mega auction and his performance so far

IPL 2022 mega auction that was held in February 2022 came up with some big surprises and some even bigger upsets. With the inclusion of two new teams, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, the previous eight teams banked on creating new squads from scratch. A few players were loyally backed by their franchises as they were too good to let them go.

Notably, this time most franchises invested heavily in budding young pacers. None of the previous auctions have ever seen a pacer getting bids for as much as 14 crores as Deepak Chahar did, thanks to the impact he left for Chennai Super Kings in his previous tenure. This is the same auction where Suresh Raina, famously known as Mr. IPL went unsold and is now in the commentary box for this year’s IPL.

The 15th edition of IPL has seen some of these mega buys perform as expected while others are yet to justify their price tags. Some struggle to find a consistent form while others seem to fade away after being destructive earlier. With this in mind let us take a look at how the most expensive player from each team is performing so far this season: 

Here’s a look at the most expensive player from each team and his performance so far in IPL 2022

1. Ishan Kishan for Mumbai Indians (INR 15.25 cr)

Mumbai Indians were ready with their bidding paddle to go all-in, as soon as the auctioneer announced Ishan Kishan in the mega auction. A furious battle for this 23-year-old youngster who hails from Jharkhand was worth the wait for Mumbai when they finally bagged him for 15 crores and 25 lakhs. Ishan is now the second most expensive Indian player in the history of IPL, just below Yuvraj Singh who was sold for 16 crores, that too very late in his cricketing career. 

Kishan is a left-handed batsman, well known for his batting exploits. His previous two IPL editions with Mumbai were as fantastic as his recent form for India. Kishan is emerging as a top-class T20 batter who can precisely add runs up the order. His strike rate as an opener has earned him the respect, he has been enjoying this season.

Kishan has scored 225 runs in the nine matches that he has played so far. He averages 28.13 with an average strike rate of 111.39. His highest score this season is 81 not out. In the first couple of games this season, he looked at his best, but as the tournament progressed he seemed to fade away going down with a string of low scores. Mumbai Indians are having the worst season in the history of the franchise and are already out of the tournament.