IPL 2022: 10 oldest players who will feature this season
The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) is all set to be held from March 26 to May 29. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the IPL 2022 schedule. The tournament will kick off with a rematch of last year’s final as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the tournament opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The league stage matches of IPL 2022 will be held completely in Maharashtra, across four venues in Mumbai and Pune - Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, Dr DY Patil Sports Academy and Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. With two new teams joining the league this season, the format of the tournament has been tweaked slightly as the 10 sides have been divided into two virtual groups of five each.
IPL 2022: Will these oldies make an impact?
In the build-up to IPL 2022, we take a look at the 10 oldest players who will be featuring in the tournament this season.
#1 MS Dhoni (40 years)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni is the oldest player in IPL 2022. He will be in charge as CSK look to defend their crown in the upcoming edition. Dhoni has not been in great form with the bat over the last couple of seasons. He scored 200 runs in IPL 2020 at a strike rate of 116.27.
Last year, he managed 114 runs at a strike rate of 106.54. However, he played a brilliant cameo (18* off 6) in Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capitals (DC) to lift CSK into the final. Overall, Dhoni has played 220 IPL games and has scored 4746 runs at a strike rate of 135.83.
#2 Dwayne Bravo (38 years)
Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was bought back by the Chennai franchise at the mega auction for ₹4.40 crore. The 38-year-old may be past his prime, but he showed during IPL 2021 that he can still make significant contributions.
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Bravo picked up 14 wickets in 11 games at a strike rate of 14.42 as CSK lifted the title for the fourth time. The Caribbean cricketer has picked up 167 wickets in 151 IPL games and has scored 1537 runs as well.
#3 Faf du Plessis (37 years)
Former South African captain Faf du Plessis was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for ₹7 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. He was one of CSK’s standout performers during IPL 2021, smashing 633 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.20.
Although he missed out on the Orange Cap by a whisker, he was the Player of the Final for his 59-ball 86. The Proteas batter has 2935 IPL runs from 100 games at a strike rate of 131.08.
#4 Wriddhiman Saha (37 years)
The wicketkeeper-batter has been in the news lately for somewhat controversial reasons. Earlier, Wriddhiman Saha was picked up for a decent ₹1.9 crore by Gujarat Titans (GT) at the IPL auction.
The right-hander had a poor IPL 2021 season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) but he impressed the year before, smacking 214 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 139.86. Saha has 2110 runs from 133 matches in the T20 league at a strike rate of 128.73.
#5 Mohammad Nabi (37 years)
Afghanistan’s T20 captain Mohammad Nabi was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for his base price of ₹1 crore. The all-rounder has not had much to do in the last two editions of the IPL, representing SRH. He played only one match in 2020 and three last year.
Nabi is a canny off-spinner who is handy with the bat as well. He has taken 13 scalps in 17 IPL games and has scored 180 runs at a strike rate of 151.26.
#6 Dinesh Karthik (36 years)
Having been released by KKR, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik will represent RCB this season. The cheeky batter managed only 223 runs in 17 matches last season at a strike rate of 131.17.
At his peak, Karthik was among the most sought-after batters in the IPL. In 2013, he amassed 510 runs for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 19 matches. Karthik has 213 matches of experience in which he has scored 4046 runs.
#7 Shikhar Dhawan (36 years)
Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan was the first player to be sold at the IPL 2022 mega auction. He was purchased by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹8.25 crore. The southpaw has been in terrific form in the IPL over the last couple of seasons. Representing the Delhi Capitals (DC), he smacked 618 runs in 17 matches in IPL 2020 and 587 runs in 16 games last year.
Dhawan will be keen to carry on his great run in the tournament this year and put his name in the reckoning for the T20 World Cup in Australia. The left-hander has 5784 runs in the IPL and is second on the list of all-time leading run-getters.
#8 Ambati Rayudu (36 years)
Released by CSK ahead of the auction, Ambati Rayudu was bought back by the franchise for ₹6.75 crore. The aggressive right-hander has been an unsung hero in the tournament over the years. Last season, he smashed 257 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 151.17.
The numbers included a blazing 72* against MI. Rayudu has 3916 runs from 175 IPL games at a strike rate of 127.47. Chennai are banking on his experience to deliver in the upcoming season.
#9 David Warner (35 years)
Dashing Australian opener David Warner was picked up by his former franchise DC for ₹6.25 crore. The experienced batter parted ways with SRH after the IPL 2021 edition. It was an ignominious exit as Warner was first sacked as captain and then dropped from the playing XI as well.
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The 35-year-old, however, answered critics by winning the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2021. Warner is the highest run-getter among overseas batters in the IPL with 5449 runs.
#10 Ravichandran Ashwin (35 years)
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was purchased by the Rajasthan Royals for ₹5 crore at the mega auction in Bengaluru. The seasoned bowler represented DC in the last two seasons, claiming 13 and seven wickets respectively.
During the early years of the T20 league, Ashwin was a formidable force for CSK but his T20 skills have been on the wane since. In 167 IPL games, he has 145 wickets to his name at an economy rate of 6.91.