3 players the Ahmedabad franchise will look to bag for IPL 2022
The bidding for the two new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises concluded yesterday, with the RPSG group winning ownership of the Lucknow-based franchise and CVC Capital Partners getting the winning bid for the Ahmedabad-based franchise.
CVC Capital put in a winning bid of INR 5,625 crore for the Ahmedabad franchise, while the Lucknow franchise went to RPSG group for a bid of INR 7090 crore.
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The Ahmedabad-based franchise will be the second from Gujarat to play in the IPL, with Gujarat Lions playing in the two years that Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended.
There will be a mega auction ahead of IPL 2022, which will give the new franchises a good opportunity to build a strong side.
Reports claim that the existing teams will be allowed four retentions, but with India's large talent pool and several good overseas T20 players not getting a shot at the moment, the new franchises will have plenty to choose from.
The IPL 2022 Mega Auction is set to take place in December.
The Ahmedabad franchise will look to get in some local stars to give fans a sense of belonging and draw crowds, but will also have overseas options to pick from.
Here are three players the Ahmedabad franchise should look to snap up for IPL 2022:
#1 Axar Patel
A true-blue local lad, Axar Patel has already helped inaugurate the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with his brilliant bowling performances in the Tests against England earlier in the year.
It will be a huge buy for the team if they can manage to lure the left-arm spinner away from the Delhi Capitals.
Axar is great with the ball, a handy batter down the order and brilliant on the field, and is one of the biggest names in Indian cricket at the moment.
Axar has 95 wickets from 109 IPL appearances and can prove to be a prolific wicket-taker on the Ahmedabad pitch. He is also a very miserly bowler, with an economy rate of 7.22. In fact, in the last two years, his economy rate has been 6.65 and 6.41.
An issue, however, will be whether DC release him into the auction pool or not, given that coach Ricky Ponting rates the all-rounder very highly.
#2 David Warner
David Warner is almost certainly on his way out of Sunrisers Hyderabad, a team he has played for since 2014.
While the Australian opener may have had a poor IPL 2021, he is an extremely experienced batter and one of the most prolific run-scorers in IPL history. In fact, last season was the first time in seven years that he did not cross the 500-run mark in the tournament.
Warner can get off to a fresh start at a new franchise and could even be a captaincy option.
With 5449 runs, Warner is the highest run-scorer in the IPL among overseas players and fifth on the list overall. He will give the new team good brand value.
Even if he proves not to be as explosive as he used to be, Warner can still be a very good anchor. The 34-year-old is a gun fielder as well.
#3 Krunal Pandya
The older Pandya brother may not be retained by the Mumbai Indians and could be another great all-round option for the Ahmedabad franchise.
Krunal Pandya originally hails from Gujarat and has established himself in the IPL, playing a big part in Mumbai's last few title wins.
Krunal, like Axar, is a left-arm spinner and a left-arm batter, and is good with his fielding as well.
He will bring the experience of not just having played several matches, but also having been part of a champion team in the IPL.