IPL 2022 Auction: 4 best retained bowlers
With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) contemplating the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the end of March, fans can gear up to cheer for their favorite franchise real soon.
Everything is going to be grander this season for two big reasons - the mega auction and the introduction of two new franchises. Ahmedabad and Lucknow are going to have their very own IPL teams this year, with both franchises having made their official draft picks ahead of the auction.
Team Ahmedabad have chosen Afghan leggie Rashid Khan (₹15 crore), young gun Shubman Gill (₹8 crore) and Hardik Pandya (₹15 crore). On the other hand, team Lucknow have opted to go with KL Rahul (₹17 crore), Marcus Stoinis (₹9.2 crore) and Ravi Bishnoi (₹4 crores). Ashish Nehra and Andy Flower have been named as coaches for the Ahmedabad and Lucknow franchises respectively.
While this is just the start of what all the exciting changes could possibly go down at the mega auction scheduled for February 12 and 13, let's revisit the four best bowlers retained by their respective franchises.
#4 Umran Malik (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The young Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer raised several eyebrows after consistently hitting the 150 kmph mark with ease. With franchises building teams for the long term, it was no surprise that SRH kept hold of Umran Malik, who picked up two wickets in three matches in IPL 2021.
The Orange Army retained Malik for ₹4 crore, with Kane Williamson and Abdul Samad being SRH's other two retentions.
#3 Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings)
The right-arm off-spinner has without a doubt been one of the best retentions for the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). With his all-round ability, the England international came out to bat at no.3 and played some crucial knocks throughout IPL 2021.
With the ball, Ali provided some good support to one of the best bowling units of the IPL, picking up six scalps in 10 innings.
Ali has now cracked a deal worth ₹6 crore with the Men in Yellow and could prove to be a great asset for CSK in the future.
#2 Axar Patel
With an impressive economy rate of 6.65, Axar Patel picked up a total of 15 wickets for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2021.
The left-arm orthodox spinner put on an excellent show with the ball and, as a result, was offered ₹9 crore by the franchise to play for them in 2022.
He was retained by the Capitals in addition to Rishabh Pant, Anrich Nortje, and Prithvi Shaw.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah takes the top spot on our list of best bowlers retained by IPL franchises. Despite the Mumbai Indians' (MI) disappointing performance in IPL 2021, Bumrah took 21 wickets in 14 games at an average of 19.52, finishing as the team’s highest wicket-taker.
Needless to say, he was an easy retention choice for the franchise. The 28-year-old has been retained for ₹12 crore by the Mumbai Indians and we expect the speedster to be lethal with the ball once again in PL 2022.
Honorable mentions - Arshdeep Singh (Punjab Kings - ₹4 crore), Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals - ₹6.5 crore), Mohammed Siraj (Royal Challengers Bangalore - ₹7 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings - ₹16 crore) and Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders - ₹6 crore).