File photo of Pat Cummins playing in the IPL© BCCI/IPL
Top Indian pacers like Mohammed Shami and overseas picks such as Trent Boult, Pat Cummins will be in high demand during the two-day mega IPL 2022 player auction scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. A total of 590 cricketers will go under the hammer ahead of 15th season of the Indian Premier League. The full list contains 370 Indian and 220 overseas players who will try their luck to fetch staggering bids. IPL 2022 will be a 10-team affair after the addition of the Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchise. As many as 48 players have been put in Rs 2 crore bracket while 20 players have a base price of Rs 1.5 crore. The Rs 1 crore bracket has a total 34 players.
Here’s a list of five pacers who can fetch big bids in the IPL 2022 mega auction
1 – Mohammed Shami
An indispensable part of the current Indian setup, Mohammed Shami can attract huge bids due to his experience. He was also the standout performer for India in the recent Test series against South Africa. He was a part of Punjab Kings last season, he led the bowling attack and picked up 19 wickets in just 14 games. The paceman has set his base price as Rs 2 crore.
2 – Trent Boult
Trent Boult perhaps would still have been a part of five-time champions Mumbai Indians if the mega-auction didn’t come into the picture. The Rohit Sharma-led side was spoilt for choices, which led to the New Zealand paceman’s release. Last year, He claimed 13 scalps at an economy rate of under eight and it shouldn’t be a surprise if MI splurge big money to get Boult again. Boult, who was Player of the Match during Mumbai’s title triumph in 2020, forms a lethal partnership with Jasprit Bumrah. His base price is Rs 2 crore.
3 – Harshal Patel
It was a surprise that the Purple Cap winner of the last season was not retained by his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. His wicket-taking ability and variations played a key role in the Bangalore-based outfit reaching the playoffs. He equaled the record for the highest number of wickets taken in a single edition of the IPL, joining Dwayne Bravo at the top.
4 – Pat Cummins
The newly-appointed Test skipper of Australia, Pat Cummins can also attract huge bids when he goes under the hammer. Two-time IPL champions KKR were forced to release players like Shubman Gill, Cummins, Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik. But the Aussie cricketer’s all-round abilities make him a perfect pick for T20 cricket. Cummins was signed by KKR for a hefty amount of Rs 15.5 crore and there is no reason why he can’t set the auction table on fire even this time around. His base price is Rs 2 crore.
5 – Kagiso Rabada
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada is also in the Rs 2 crore bracket but the speedster’s talent and raw pace justify the hefty base price. He picked up 15 wickets in 15 games for Delhi Capitals, playing a crucial role in the team’s impressive run into the playoffs last year. Rabada and Anrich Nortje worked in tandem in the last couple of seasons for Delhi Capitals and with the latter already retained by the franchises, the Delhi-based outfit can splurge huge money to buy back Rabada.
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