IPL 2022 Auction: 3 Indian batters with a base price of ₹20 lakh who are likely to get high bids

We are just a few days away from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, which will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. A total of 590 cricketers will go under the hammer at the auction. Of those, 228 are capped players, 355 are uncapped cricketers and seven are from the Associate Nations.

As many as 370 of the 590 players who have registered for the auction are from India. Of the 220 overseas cricketers, T20 World Cup champions Australia have the highest representation with 47 players. The Aussies are followed by West Indies (34), South Africa (33), England and New Zealand (24 each).

48 players are part of the highest base price of ₹2 crore, while 20 players have listed a reserve price of ₹1.5 crore. Also, 34 players have placed themselves in the ₹1 crore category.

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IPL 2022 Auction: Will these Indian batters get picked?

A number of Indian batters have listed their names in the ₹20 lakh category for the upcoming auction. We look at three such names who could get big bids.

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#1 Yash Dhull

India U-19 captain Yash Dhull. Pic: BCCI

India’s U19 captain Yash Dhull should be in demand at the IPL mega auction following his brilliant performance in the ongoing U19 World Cup in the West Indies. After scoring half-centuries in both warm-up games, he registered a defiant 82 off 100 balls in the team’s opening match against South Africa.

After missing out on the remaining two group games due to COVID-19, Dhull came back and guided the team home against Bangladesh in the quarter-final with a calm 20*. However, it was his performance against Australia that made the cricketing world sit up and take notice of his talent. With the team in trouble at 37 for 2, Dhull came in and led from the front, cracking a memorable hundred. Some of the shots he played during the innings were exceptional.

Considering how well he has batted and led the Indian team in the U19 World Cup, it will be surprising if he doesn’t get picked up by any of the franchises. Dhull is definitely someone who can be groomed into a match-winner with the willow.

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#2 K.S. Bharat

KS Bharat could be in demand at the auction. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Andhra Pradesh’s wicketkeeper-batter K.S. Bharat has been in fine form in domestic cricket. The 28-year-old was one of the top performers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In five matches, he smashed 370 runs at an average of 92.50 and a strike rate of 108.18. Bharat scored consecutive hundreds in the tournament - 161* off 109 against Himachal Pradesh and 156 off 138 against Gujarat.

Before that, Bharat also turned out for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2021. He had an average tournament - scoring 191 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 122.43. However, the right-hander played one innings that stood out for the mix of calmness and audacity he displayed under pressure.

In a match against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dubai, Bharat stroked a superb 78* off 52 balls to take RCB to an unlikely victory. He outshone even Glenn Maxwell (51* off 33), who was content playing the supporting role in the partnership. Famously, Bharat hit a last-ball six to seal a famous win. He is also an agile wicketkeeper and there is no reason why he shouldn’t be in demand at the IPL auction.

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#3 Tanmay Agarwal

Hyderabad captain Tanmay Agarwal. Pic: BCCI

Hyderabad opener and captain Tanmay Agarwal was the leading run-getter for the side during the team’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 campaign. In seven matches, he smashed 334 runs at a strike rate of 148.44 with four half-centuries. He narrowly missed out on a hundred, smashing a sizzling 97* off 59 balls against Uttarakhand. Agarwal also scored 54 off 34 against Delhi and 62 off 46 versus Uttar Pradesh.

The skipper had a key role to play in Hyderabad reaching the semi-final against Tamil Nadu. However, Agarwal perished for 1 in the knockout game and his team succumbed to 90 all out, batting first. Tamil Nadu cruised to victory by eight wickets, marking quite an anti-climatic end to what had been a wonderful series for Agarwal. He played a couple of good knocks in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well.

Agarwal’s game is well-suited to the 20-over format. He has a strike rate of nearly 130 after 52 T20 matches. Also, the left-hander’s confidence will be on a high following his recent success in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. With franchises keeping an eye on upcoming talent, Agarwal stands a decent chance of bagging a big contract.