IPL 2022 Auction: 3 uncapped Indian all-rounders with ₹20 lakh base price likely to be in demand
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction is all set to be held on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Ahead of the auction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the list of 590 players who will go under the hammer at the two-day event. Out of the players who have registered their names for the auction, 228 are capped players, 355 are uncapped cricketers while seven belong to Associate Nations.
Also, out of the 590 cricketers who will be up for grabs, 370 are Indian players while 220 are overseas players. 48 cricketers have put their names in the highest bracket of ₹2 crore. There are 20 players with a base price of ₹1.5 crore while 34 players have listed their name with a reserve price of ₹1 crore.
IPL 2022 Auction: Will these young Indian all-rounders get picked?
Over 300 players, most of them promising youngsters, have listed the lowest base price of ₹20 lakh. We look at three Indian all-rounders in his category who could get picked at the auction.
#1 Raj Angad Bawa
Expect Raj Angad Bawa, the player of the match in the India’s U19 World Cup 2022 final, to be in demand at the IPL 2022 auction. The medium pacer blew away England with figures of 5/31, the best returns in an U19 World Cup final. While chasing 190, India were in trouble at 97 for 4. Bawa came to the team’s rescue with a well-made 35, featuring in a 67-run stand for the fifth wicket with Nishant Sindhu.
Earlier in the tournament, he hammered an unbeaten 162 off 108 balls against Uganda, breaking Shikhar Dhawan’s (155) record for the highest individual score by an Indian at the U19 World Cup. He also claimed 4 for 47 in India’s tournament opener against South Africa as the team launched their campaign with a 45-run triumph.
A player who can win games with both bat and ball, IPL franchises would be keen to have him in their squad. His magnificent exploits in the U19 World Cup 2022 should help Bawa in bagging an impressive price at the auction.
#2 Abhishek Sharma
Despite being only 21, Abhishek Sharma has been on the domestic scene for a while. A stylish left-handed batter and a useful left-arm spinner, he has also played 22 IPL matches. He was purchased by the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the 2018 auction and impressed on debut, smashing an unbeaten 46 off 19 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), with his innings studded with four sixes.
Sharma has not been able to replicate his initial success in subsequent IPL seasons. He has represented Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the last two seasons. The youngster played eight matches each in both editions, scoring 71 and 98 runs respectively. Sharma looked good but could not convert starts into significant scores. With the ball, he chipped in with two and four scalps respectively.
Although he hasn’t been able to perform to potential in the IPL, Sharma is likely to be in demand owing to the skills he possesses. He slammed a brilliant 169* off 117 balls, opening the innings for Punjab in their Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 clash against Services. Before that, he picked up two wickets and scored an unbeaten 56 against Assam. Given his obvious talent, franchises will be willing to place their faith in him.
#3 Atharva Taide
Vidarbha cricketer Atharva Taide has been in impressive form during the domestic season, especially with the bat. The left-hander smashed 270 runs in seven matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 at a strike rate of 137.05. He hammered 56 off 38 deliveries against Maharashtra and followed it up with an unbeaten 40 against Rajasthan. Taide also slammed 32 off 16 in the semi-final against Karnataka, but Vidarbha lost the contest by four runs.
The 21-year-old continued his impressive run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, scoring 345 runs in seven games at an average of 57.50. His standout performance came against Andhra Pradesh as he clobbered an unbeaten 164 off 123 balls with the aid of 15 fours and five sixes.
Apart from being an aggressive batter, Taide is also a useful left-arm spinner, who can chip in with crucial wickets. Although he has only 10 wickets in 20 T20 games, Taide has an excellent economy rate of 5.36. The youngster is definitely someone who can be groomed into an impact cricketer.