IPL 2022 Auction: Predicting 3 teams that will have a better outing at the bidding table

The IPL 2022 Auction is scheduled to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Considering the addition of two new franchises from Lucknow and Ahmedabad, the upcoming auction promises to be the biggest that the tournament has ever seen.

Ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction, the eight pre-existing teams retained 27 players in all. The new teams from Lucknow and Ahmedabad also picked three players each from the draft.

3 teams that will have a better time at the IPL 2022 Auction

Half the battle is won at the auction table. This has become a cliche with regards to the IPL, with teams being testimony to the same over the years. Not only have successful franchises reaped the rewards of a good auction, but the correlation has proved right for teams that have struggled as well.

So come the IPL 2022 Auction, some of these teams will have to have a much better outing with regards to the bidding process.

On that note, we predict the three teams that will have a better auction this time around:

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#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The 2016 IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) endured their worst-ever season in 2021, finishing bottom of the table. SRH retained Kane Williamson as their captain, apart from uncapped players Abdul Samad and Umran Malik ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction.

SRH are known to be among the smartest teams at the auction table. However, they have hardly done anything to resolve their age-old middle-order woes at the auctions over the years. The stubbornness of continuing with a misfiring middle order came back to bite them in the 2021 season.

Needless to say, with the reset button pressed, SRH will look to address those woes. The arrival of Brian Lara as Strategic Advisor and Dale Steyn as the bowling coach brings a lot of intellectual property to their ranks. SRH should have a much better auction this time around with a new think-tank at their disposal.

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#2 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were runners-up of IPL 2021 (Picture Credits: IPL).

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might come out as a surprising inclusion in this list. However, their auction in 2018 wasn't quite as prudent.

Splurging a combined ₹19 crore on Mitchell Starc and Chris Lynn backfired big time for the two-time IPL champions. KKR then had to rely on a younger Indian bowling attack while failing to have able backups for their overseas stars. With Starc not turning up that year due to injury, their issues were only compounded.

Expect KKR to learn from those mistakes come the IPL 2022 Auction though. With a core of Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine, KKR should make some smart purchases. There are enough experienced brains in the KKR setup who are bound to make this auction a more successful one.

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#3 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and their 'Moneyball' tactics at the IPL auctions are well-documented. That said, the last few years have exposed a sense of confusion over what their apt strategy would be.

Despite deviating from their 'Moneyball' strategy and shelling out the big bucks, RR have failed to assemble a team capable of winning the title. With skipper Sanju Samson one among three retentions ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction, the Kerala lad will be keen to give the team a new direction.

Come the IPL 2022 Auction, the combination of Samson and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara will have a three-year cycle in mind. With Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal already retained, it is very clear now as to what the Royals need to focus on in the upcoming auction.

Building a solid Indian core that can serve the team for a long-term period will be right on their priority list. Considering that RR boast an outstanding scouting team, expect them to right their wrongs of yore at the IPL 2022 Auction. They should have a better bidding process this time around.