IPL 2022: 3 Big Bash League stars who will look to have a successful IPL
Players who have been successful in the Big Bash League (BBL) have often struggled to translate their form into the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is clearly a higher standard of cricket.
Even as recently as IPL 2021, BBL stars like Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith snapped up lucrative deals but failed to replicate their wicket-taking exploits from the BBL in the UAE. While there have been a few exceptions, such as Doug Bollinger, David Warner and Shaun Marsh, it's clear that only the very best from the BBL can be regular members of IPL playing XIs.
Here are three players who dazzled in the 2021/22 edition of the BBL and will look to continue their good showing in IPL 2022.
#3 Daniel Sams (MI)
Daniel Sams has played a handful of games in the IPL, having been part of the Delhi Capitals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. But the left-armer has been found wanting, with just one wicket and six runs in the five matches he has played in the league.
Sams has been a consistent performer in the BBL, though. In the previous season, he scalped 19 wickets at an economy rate of 8.49 and scored 191 runs at a healthy strike rate of 161.8 for the Sydney Thunder. The all-rounder even smashed an unbeaten 98 against the Melbourne Renegades after coming in at No. 4.
Playing for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022, Sams will have big boots to fill. The five-time IPL champions are short of quality all-rounders and will also be without Jofra Archer this year. Alongside big names like Jasprit Bumrah and Kieron Pollard, the Aussie will be key to MI's IPL playoff hopes.
#2 Sean Abbott (SRH)
Sean Abbott was a surprise pick at the IPL 2022 auction. Three teams vied for his services, with the Sunrisers Hyderabad acquiring him for INR 2.4 crore.
Abbott was the sixth-highest wicket-taker for the Sydney Sixers in the 21/22 BBL season with 19 scalps at an average of 19.89, including a three-fer and a quickfire 40 against the Adelaide Strikers in the Challenger. He contributed handy runs lower down the order and helped the Sixers reach the final of the league.
Abbott may not be part of SRH's first-choice playing XI, but he's bound to get a chance or two if the IPL team's primary overseas all-rounders don't deliver. He will be keen to make a mark in the IPL.
#1 Glenn Maxwell (RCB)
The Royal Challengers Bangalore need Glenn Maxwell to bring his BBL form into IPL 2022. The Aussie, who plundered 468 runs at an average of 42.55 and a strike rate of 159.73 in this year's BBL edition, is the rock around which the RCB batting order revolves.
Fresh off an excellent IPL season with RCB, Maxwell will have added responsibility on his shoulders due to the retirement of AB de Villiers. With the team's other key batters like Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis having limitations in their T20 batting, he will be the main man to take on spinners in the middle overs. The all-rounder will also be expected to contribute with the ball and on the field.
RCB are heavily reliant on Maxwell, who has settled in well at the franchise. The Melbourne Stars captain will be desperate to prove that his IPL 2021 heroics weren't a flash in the pan.
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