IPL: 5 Indian players who may get huge bids in IPL 2022 mega auction

IPL is one of the most awaited sports tournaments in the entire world. It is the most money-making cricket league and is enjoyed by many cricket fans internationally, let alone in India. It happens just around the time when summers begin in the country and takes over the highlight section in the newspapers for a couple of months.

IPL can change fortunes for a lot of cricketers. While it is a platform to showcase the young bunch of cricketers, we have seen some senior cricketers in their mid-30s rejuvenating their careers. It gives a lot of exposure to the Indian talents and helps them reach new heights, which they always wanted to scale! 

As we know, a mega auction happens once every 3 to 4 years and it is destined to occur in 2022. While there are international cricketers who spring a lot of money in mini auctions, the Indian bunch rules the mega auction. 

Here are the 5 Indian players who may get huge bids in next year’s mega auction

1. Suryakumar Yadav 

If there’s one cricketer who has gotten a huge fanbase in the last couple of years through IPL, it has to be Suryakumar Yadav. Back in 2018, when he was bought by Mumbai Indians, he used to play down the order for Kolkata Knight Riders and was immensely underutilized. 

But ever since Mumbai Indians bought him and showed huge faith in him, things took a huge turn for Suryakumar Yadav. He has scored close to 1500 runs in the last 3 IPL seasons, which speaks about his consistency. It is because of his IPL performances that he got to be a part of the Indian team and is right now slotted to bat at No. 3 in the upcoming T20 World Cup. 

Although Mumbai Indians have shown huge faith in him, they would prioritize other cricketers to retain over him. Every team is going to try hard to buy him, expect him to be one of the biggest bids at the auction. 

2. Ishan Kishan 

It’s great how good a team Mumbai Indians have built, especially in the last couple of years where they have become truly unstoppable. Ishan Kishan is another name from the list who was supposed to be groomed to reach new heights when he first came to the team in 2018. Right now, he’s in the reckoning for the Indian team as one of the openers. 

Ishan Kishan made a great debut for the Indian team earlier this year. He had an impressive run in the last IPL season where he scored at a whopping average of 57.33 and a strike rate of 145.76 with over 500+ runs. It was a breakthrough season for him as he is expected to become a major part of the Indian team as well.

Just like Yadav, Ishan Kishan is likely not to be retained by Mumbai Indians. This will allow him to enter the mega auction. A lot of teams are in a dire need of a left-handed batsman in the middle overs who can strike well from ball one. His wicket-keeping abilities are just going to add to the reasons for him getting a huge price. 

3. Shikhar Dhawan 

Shikhar Dhawan is in his mid-30s at the moment, so it might come as a surprise to a lot of people. But if you look at his performances in IPL and how consistent he has been, it is only fair to predict that he is going to have an amazing auction in 2022. 

Dhawan is an integral part of the limited over setup for India. Although he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves as whether it comes to the Indian team or the IPL, he is consistent with his performances. The amazing thing about him is that when the stakes are high, he churns out the best version of himself and you can see that on the field. 

With over 5000 runs at an average of close to 35 and 44 half-centuries already, Shikhar Dhawan easily becomes a great bid. His experience makes him even more lethal and there is no doubt that he is going to be in huge demand in the mega auction.

4. T Natarajan

It is a fairytale that needs to be told, T Natarajan‘s career has seen such amazing heights in the last couple of months, which is only a dream for other cricketers. From being almost a nobody, he entered IPL 2020 on the back of his talent and came out of it with a call to the national side as well as an impressive IPL season.

It might be surprising to hear but amidst Bumrah, Shami, Nortje, Rabada, and Boult, T Natarajan came with most yorkers in the entire 2020 edition, with as many as 71 Yorkers. He arrived in the Indian team for T20Is as a replacement player but went on to feature across formats in Australia and was lauded for his performances, rightly so too.

There’s no stopping this Tamil Nadu cricketer in the times to come, and there would be no stopping the bidders either when T Natarajan’s name is going to appear on the list. He might be one of the best bids amongst Indian bowlers easily.

5. Krunal Pandya 

While Krunal Pandya is not talked about enough and he does not have numbers like the other names on this list, he is someone who can be lethal on his day and prove to be a match-winner. He has shown the caliber in the star-studded lineup of Mumbai Indians. 

He doesn’t get enough chances to prove his worth even though he has been a part of the Mumbai Indians’ playing XI throughout the season. Krunal has the ability to bat up the order and can strike big as a finisher at the same point in time. His variations as a bowler, especially the quick deliveries that he produces out of nowhere make him too effective. 

He is an impressive fielder as well and can fit perfectly into any given IPL team other than Mumbai Indians. He will be up for grabs in the mega auction of 2022, where he is likely to see big bids from a couple of IPL franchises.