Bhuvneshwar Kumar back at Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹4.2 crore at IPL 2022 Auction
The IPL 2022 Auction saw swingman Bhuvneshwar Kumar return to Sunrisers Hyderabad for another stint.
There was some bidding for the experienced quick from Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants but they were outbid by Hyderabad for ₹4.2 crore.
It was a woeful IPL 2021 season for the quick as he ended with just six wickets from 11 matches. But it does appear that Hyderabad were eager to retain him as part of their core team going forward.
Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants were the other teams that were engaged in a paddle battle with Hyderabad. Mumbai joined the fray but decided against it once Hyderabad continued to be actively involved.
Having played his initial IPL for the now-defunct Pune Warriors India, Bhuvi was a vital cog in the Hyderabad outfit. His stint with the side saw him bag 118 wickets for the franchise at an average of 24.31 and an economy rate of 7.46.
Bhuvi, a steal for SRH at the IPL 2022 Auction?
It appears so. Although his stock appears to have dipped, the bowler is a wily customer in the IPL and is equally effective at death overs as well.
Hyderabad passed Bhuvi to Umran Malik during retention, but in bagging him back, they would feel that they had a solid steal with the veteran in the mix.
Hyderabad have been rather competitive at the IPL 2022 Auction after what was a presumably slow start. Tamil Nadu bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar was their first acquisition and they followed it up by reacquiring T Natarajan.
West Indies gloveman Nicolas Pooran was one of their buys at the auction. Earlier, Hyderabad made an attacking bid for Deepak Chahar and went up to ₹10 crore. But the Chennai Super Kings were keen to bag their former seamer and did so for a whopping ₹14 crore.