The IPL 2022 auction is done and dusted, the event took place in Bangalore and went on for two long days that saw a total of 204 players getting sold to the 10 franchises, with Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants making their debuts.
The IPL 2022, which is the 15th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league, is reported to start in the last week of March with all games to be played in Mumbai and Pune.
Several players, youngsters and experienced ones, will be eyeing to perform well in the tournament to further their careers. Every season there have been few players who come out of the blue to perform over expectations and win games for their teams.
Here we look at 5 such unexpected players who could shine in IPL 2022:
Shivam Dube
It’s time for Shivam Dube to come of age in the IPL. Once touted to become a regular India player, Dube has featured in 1 ODI and 13 T20Is and has 24 IPL appearances. However, with just 2 fifties in all these games at a lowly strike rate for a finisher and 9 wickets at a high economy, Dube fizzled out of the national reckoning.
Despite that CSK have trusted him to fill the all-rounder’s boots with the ageing and injury-prone Dwayne Bravo. Under MS Dhoni, Dube could turn into the match-winner that we thought he was.
Tilak Varma
Mumbai Indians have been tracking Tilak Varma since his under-19 days, and now he is likely to be a starter in their middle-order. Varma has played 2 first-class games, and averages 52 in 16 List-A matches; in 15 T20 outings, the left-hander averages 29 at a strike rate of 143.
Like the many previous years, Tilak Varma could be this season’s surprise success of Mumbai Indians.
Dewald Brevis
Another player to watch out for in the Mumbai Indians team is young South African Dewald Brevis, who has got the nickname ‘Baby AB’ because of his beautiful stance and power hits akin to AB de Villiers.
Brevis was the Player of the Tournament at the under-19 World Cup having smashed a record 506 runs in six games; he can also bowl handy leg-spin. MI got the 18-year-old for a handsome amount of 3 crore and they would hope that Brevis could become a mainstay in their middle-order this season and going forward.There’s a lot of excitement among the Mumbai Indians fans for Dewald Brevis ahead of IPL 2022.
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane has a point to prove in IPL 2022 after being dropped from India’s Test side, and although these are two different formats, the sheer weight of runs would never go unnoticed. Rahane, who featured in just 2 matches for Delhi Capitals last season, is likely to start as an opener in KKR’s eleven.
