IPL 2022 Auction: 3 batters SRH could target on Brian Lara's advice
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) grabbed the headlines last week by announcing a star-studded coaching staff for the IPL 2022 season. They have signed former West Indies batter Brian Lara as their new batting coach and strategic advisor.
Dale Steyn, Hemang Badani and Simon Katich are some of the other big names to have joined the Sunrisers Hyderabad backroom staff ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. The new coaches will play a major role in forming SRH's squad for the 15th IPL season.
According to reports, the IPL 2022 Auction will be the last mega auction in the history of the competition. So it will be important for all teams to form a strong core.
On that note, let's take a look at the three names SRH's new strategic advisor Brian Lara could suggest to the team owners to pick at the IPL 2022 Auction.
#1 KL Rahul
Indian T20I vice-captain KL Rahul was surprisingly released by the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction. The franchise later revealed that it was the player's decision to leave the team before the new season.
Rahul is currently one of the finest T20 players in the world. As per reports, he could join the Lucknow franchise in IPL 2022, but nothing is official as of now, and Rahul still remains a free agent.
Brian Lara is a huge fan of the Indian batter. Heaping praise on Rahul during an interaction with 7Cricket last year, Lara said:
"KL Rahul is definitely someone for me who I would pay to watch bat. I just love watching KL Rahul. Especially in the T20 version of the game."
Since the SRH batting coach likes Rahul's batting, it should not be a surprise if the Karnataka star returns to his former franchise in IPL 2022.
#2 Shubman Gill
Brian Lara - I am really impressed with the approach and maturity of Shubman Gill.
Shubman Gill is another Indian batter who has impressed Brian Lara with his batting skills. The right-handed batter was not retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction.
Gill is an extremely talented player who could be a long-term asset for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. For the record, he has aggregated 1,417 runs in 55 IPL innings so far, with his batting average being 31.49.
#3 Devdutt Padikkal
"Devdutt Padikkal such a great talent. Last year he got a couple of 50s, he batted well, he supported Virat Kohli very well. What I want to see in 2021 IPL is for him to go on & get few MOM & get a couple of triple figures under his belt. Such a great little player." - Brian Lara
Devdutt Padikkal has impressed fans with his exceptional performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) over the last two seasons. The southpaw played a vital role in RCB's top 4 finish both times.
Many fans expected RCB to retain Padikkal for the IPL 2022 season, but the Bangalore-based franchise did not do so. The youngster is likely to be available in the IPL 2022 auction pool, and Sunrisers Hyderabad could consider signing him as a replacement for David Warner.
Like Warner, Padikkal is a left-handed opening batter who knows how to pace his innings. Brian Lara took note of his talent during the 2020 and 2021 IPL seasons, which is why he could suggest the former RCB star's name to the SRH team owners at the mega auction.