IPL 2022: 3 overrated buys of the season

The two-day Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, held in Bengaluru last month, saw a whopping ₹551.7 crore being spent by the 10 franchises. A total of 204 cricketers, including 67 overseas players, were sold at the IPL 2022 auction.

Young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was the most expensive purchase. He was bought back by the Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹15.25 crore. England’s batting all-rounder Liam Livingstone became the most expensive overseas purchase at the auction. He was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹11.5 crore.

Among the other top buys at the auction, pacer Deepak Chahar was picked up by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for ₹14 crore while Shreyas Iyer was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹12.25 crore. Also, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spent ₹10.75 crore each to buy Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel.

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3 overpriced players of IPL 2022

While the franchises made a number of smart purchases at the auction, they might have also got it wrong with regards to a few players. Here, we take a look at three overrated buys of IPL 2022.

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#3 Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag has disappointed for RR. Pic: BCCI

While Riyan Parag is no doubt a talented youngster, he seems to enjoy interrupted backing from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) despite consistent failures. The 20-year-old made his debut for the Rajasthan-based franchise during the 2019 season. He has played 30 IPL matches over the last three seasons, but has only managed 339 runs at an average of 16.95 and a strike rate of 118.53. His only half-century in the tournament came during his debut season.

Parag scored only 86 runs in 12 matches during the 2020 season at an average of 12.28 and 93 runs in 11 games at an average of 11.62 last year. He looked good a number of times out in the middle but threw his wicket away after getting starts. He had a top score of 25 in IPL 2021.

The youngster is a brilliant fielder and a handy part-time off-spinner as well. He has the ingredients to be a dangerous T20 cricketer. However, it doesn’t seem like he is doing justice to his potential at the moment. As a result, a price of ₹3.80 crore, paid to him by RR for this season, seems a tad too high.

You can find the full IPL 2022 News here.

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#2 Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi was bought back by KKR. Pic: BCCI

Pacer Shivam Mavi was bought back by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹7.25 crore at the IPL auction. Mavi was with the same franchise before being released. The 23-year-old had a mixed season for Kolkata last year, claiming 11 wickets in nine matches at an average of 21.18 and an economy rate of 7.24.

Mavi was whacked by Prithvi Shaw for six fours in one over during an IPL 2021 encounter in Ahmedabad. He came back well in the UAE leg and even claimed a four-wicket haul against the Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah. Overall, he has claimed 25 scalps in 26 IPL matches at an average of 28.60.

Mavi is a talented fast bowler without a doubt, but he has done nothing exceptional in his T20 career so far. In 33 matches, he has claimed 31 wickets at an average of 29.35 and an economy rate of 8.18. KKR could have been judicious when it came to paying ₹7.25 crore to purchase Mavi.

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#1 Lockie Ferguson

New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson. Pic: Getty Images

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was picked up by the Gujarat Titans (GT) for a whopping ₹10 crore. He was the franchise’s most expensive purchase at the auction. The Kiwi pacer is genuinely quick and can be a game-changer on his day, but his consistency is a big question mark.

Ferguson was with KKR during the IPL 2021 season and claimed 13 wickets in eight matches at an average of 17.23 and an economy rate of 7.46. He had an extremely poor outing in the all-important final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), conceding 56 runs in his four overs without claiming a wicket. In his overall IPL career, Ferguson has picked up 24 wickets in 22 games at an average of 27 and an economy rate of 8.11.

The 30-year-old does possess a good T20 record. In 96 matches in the format, he has claimed 112 wickets at a strike rate of 17.8 and an economy of 7.54. However, he is highly injury-prone, which is one significant factor GT should have considered before shelling out ₹10 crore for him.