It’s over! We now know which cricketing megastar will be playing for what team in the biggest domestic Twenty20 competition in the world – the Indian Premier League.
Some eye-watering figures were bandied about for talent of the vintage nature and the lesser-known – but the excitement coming off the back of the event is palpable as cricket fans around the world get their IPL betting tips ready.
I will look at all the big talking points from the auction. Who is going where? Which franchise can be happiest with their dealings? How much money was spent? Which team will start the tournament as favourites for online cricket betting at the best betting sites? All that and more in my IPL Mega Auction Recap below.
The IPL Mega Auction Headlines
Spread over two days, the auction was held in Bengaluru, and a total of 204 players were sold – many of which are now millionaires if they weren’t already. No fewer than 11 players went for 10 Crores or more – that’s the most ever in this auction, while there was also a new record holder for the most expensive uncapped player in the competition’s history.
Let’s go into more detail:
The Top Five Most Expensive Signings Of The IPL 2022 Auction
- Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians) – 15,25,00,000 INR
- Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings) – 14,00,00,000 INR
- Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders) – 12,25,00,000 INR
- Liam Livingstone (Punjab Kings) – 11,50,00,000 INR
- Shardul Thakur (Delhi Capitals) – 10,75,00,000 INR
The Top Five Most Expensive Foreign Imports Of The IPL 2022 Auction
- Liam Livingstone (Punjab Kings) – 11,50,00,000 INR – England
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Royal Challengers Bangalore) – 10,75,00,000 INR – Sri Lanka
- Nicholas Pooran (Sunrisers Hyderabad) – 10,75,00,000 INR – West Indies
- Lockie Ferguson (Gujarat Titans) – 10,00,00,000 INR – New Zealand
- Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings) – 9,25,00,000 INR – South Africa
Franchises Splash The Cash
IPL teams parted with a total of ₹551.7 Crores over the two days – each side had a spending cap of ₹90 Crores, and a minimum spend of ₹67.5 Crores.
It was an auction of firsts for many reasons – not least because the Chennai Super Kings stretched the purse strings for the most significant purchase in their history. The acquisition of Deepak Chahar for ₹14 crore is the first time they have gone over the ₹10 crore mark for a player. It also made Chahar the most expensive Indian bowler ever.
Eyebrows have been raised in some circles at the cost of Chahar, who, while consistent, does not boast the sort of game-changing figures one might expect from a player with this price tag. In 2021, he claimed 14 wickets in 15 games at an economy rate of 8.35 and has taken 59 wickets in 63 IPL matches to date in his fledgling career.
It was also the first time the Mumbai Indians had spent more than ₹10 Crores for a player. The signing of Ishan Kishan was the most expensive of the 2022 auction at ₹15.25 Crores and the second-most expensive of all time for an Indian player – only Yuvraj Singh has commanded a higher fee.
Teams Show Faith In Uncapped National Team Players
The IPL 2022 Auction was an indulgent show of faith in the next generation of exciting Indian cricketers bursting through the ranks. Three established talents became the most expensive Indian players yet to be capped by their country in the 14-year history of the IPL.
The 25-year-old pacer Avesh Khan was sold for ₹10 Crores to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – capable of consistently bowling at speeds of 145 KPH, he was earmarked as the most important buy of the entire auction by LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir.
The explosive Shahrukh Khan returns to the Punjab Kings this year for ₹9 Crores off the back of an impressive showing in 2021. He hit 153 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.85 and will hope another consistent showing will attract the attention of national selectors.
Finally, the Gujarat Titans splashed ₹9 Crores on Rahul Tewatia – an exciting right-arm leg-spin bowler that can more than hold his own with the blade. He garnered worldwide attention in 2021 when playing for the Rajasthan Royals, he smashed West Indies bowler Sheldon Cotterell for five sixes in an over. It was a fierce bidding war between the Titans and the Chennai Super Kings – but the former won out to get one of the most coveted all-rounders in the game on their books.
Which Team Was The Most Successful At The IPL 2022 Auction?
In this writer’s view, it’s a close call between the Punjab Kings and the Chennai Super Kings – but I am going with the Kings as the overall victors of this year’s IPL auction.
The pick up of explosive English all-rounder Liam Livingstone for ₹11.5 Crores is arguably the signing of the auction, but how they have padded out their middle and lower order is also impressive.
The signing of talented West Indies bowling all-rounder Odean Smith is a perfect example of the depth the Kings now boast – he could come in as low as eight in the batting order, which also contains skipper Shikar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, and Shahrukh Khan.
Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Rahul Chahar complete a potent bowling attack and off the strength of their acquisitions, I can see the Kings being bang there at the business end of the tournament and will be one of my top cricket betting tips when the tournament begins in April.
