A total of 49 players – 17 Indians and 32 overseas – have listed their base price at the maximum of INR 2 crore for the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction, scheduled for February 12 and 13, with the tournament likely to kick start on March 27 in India.
Overall, a total of 1214 cricketers have been registered for the mega auction; the final list will be a trimmed one for the players who will go under the hammer. Over 200 players are expected to be bought by the 10 franchises. This will be the first mega auction conducted by the IPL since 2018.
Among the 49 players in the highest bracket of 2 crore, there are 5 players who have never played in the IPL:
Saqib Mahmood
England’s Saqib Mahmood is known for his high pace and swing with the new ball. Mahmood has picked up 14 wickets in 7 ODIs and was the Player of the Series against Pakistan at home last year for picking 9 wickets in 3 games.
Mahmood was impressive in the BBL earlier this season and is in England’s white-ball plans for the T20 World Cup. While the 2 crore bracket may seem higher, the 24-year-old could get bidders considering he is likely to have a bright future.
Ashton Agar
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is having a memorable time in T20 cricket. He was part of Australia’s squad that won the T20 World Cup last year, although he played in only one game, and recently won the BBL with Perth Scorchers in which he played a crucial role with both bat and ball.
Being an overseas spinner Agar has been unsold for the past couple of auctions. This time, with a base price of 2 crore, Ashton Agar is again likely to go unsold at the auction table in IPL.
Craig Overton
Craig Overton has made a bold call for listing himself in the 2 crore bracket, despite having not played a single T20I match for England. He has featured in 63 T20 matches though, and has an unexceptional record of 58 wickets at an average of 30.
The pace-bowling all-rounder has represented England in 6 Tests and 4 ODIs, snaring a total of 21 wickets. With plenty of other overseas pacers available at cheaper prices, the lanky Somerset seamer might go unsold.
Odean Smith
In quick time Odean Smith has become a renowned entity in the T20 circuit, known for smart pace bowling and explosive power-hitting. The 25-year-old from Jamaica is likely to turn head at the auction table even though he is listed at the highest base price.
He has been part of all of West Indies’ last three white-ball series and is set to tour India as well.
James Vince
England’s top-order batsman James Vince has entered the IPL 2022 auction in the uppermost category.
Vince, known for his classy strokeplay and immaculate timing, is one of the fringe players in England’s white-ball teams. However, he is a highly regarded T20 player, around the globe, having gained success in different T20 leagues despite not having the brute force, but batting with elegance and superb timing.
