IPL 2022 Auction: 3 players who were picked for surprisingly high prices

The much-hyped Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction took place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was the most expensive purchase at the auction as Mumbai Indians (MI) spent ₹15.25 crore to acquire his services. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought Shreyas Iyer for ₹12.25 crore following some intense bidding. The Kolkata-based franchise recently also named him captain.

Among overseas purchases, all-rounders walked away with some massive IPL contracts. Punjab Kings (PBKS) purchased England’s Liam Livingstone for ₹11.50 crore and West Indian Odean Smith for ₹6 crore.

Further, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spent ₹10.75 crore for Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, while Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) shelled out ₹8.75 crore for Washington Sundar and Romario Shepherd for ₹7.75 crore.

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IPL 2022 Auction: Did franchises overspend on these players?

As we continue our analysis of the auction, here’s a look at three players who were purchased for surprisingly high amounts.

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#3 Mark Wood (₹7.50 crore)

England fast bowler Mark Wood. Pic: Getty Images

England fast bowler Mark Wood was picked up by new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹7.50 crore. While Wood is a genuinely quick pacer, he is not a proven performer in the T20 format yet. His injury-prone nature is also a cause for concern.

He has only represented England in 19 T20Is, claiming 26 wickets at a strike rate of 16.5 and an economy rate of 8.68. Even in his overall T20 career, he has featured in just 40 games. The 32-year-old has picked up 46 wickets at a strike rate of 18.4 and a high economy of 8.25.

Wood has only been a part of one IPL season so far. He represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2018 edition but featured in just one game. He pulled out of the 2021 auction to spend time with his family at home.

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#2 Nitish Rana (₹8 crore)

Nitish Rana batting for KKR. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Experienced left-handed batter Nitish Rana was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹8 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The same franchise had released him ahead of the auction. He was picked up by KKR at the IPL 2018 auction and has been with the side since.

Rana is a versatile batter who can open the innings and bat in the middle order as well. He can also roll his arm over and bowl some off-spin. The southpaw has played 77 matches in his IPL career, scoring 1820 runs at a strike rate of 132.45.

He has a more than decent record, no doubt. But he does not have that X factor about him and is not someone who can turn games on its head. As such, KKR spending ₹8 crore on him is a debatable topic since he was the franchise’s second expensive buy after Shreyas Iyer.

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#1 Lockie Ferguson (₹10 crore)

New Zealand pace bowler Lockie Ferguson. Pic: Getty Images

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was purchased by one of the two new franchises, Gujarat Titans, for ₹10 crore. In fact, he was the team’s most expensive buy. All-rounder Rahul Tewatia was next on the list with ₹9 crore. Ferguson has genuine pace and can be deadly dangerous on his day. But his consistency has not been up to the mark.

He played eight matches for KKR last season, claiming 13 wickets at an average of 17.23 and an economy rate of 7.46. He was extremely poor in the IPL 2021 final against CSK, conceding 56 runs in his four overs without claiming a wicket. In his overall career in the Indian T20 league, he has picked up 24 wickets in 22 games at an economy rate of 8.11.

The 30-year-old does have a highly impressive record in the T20 format and is reasonably experienced as well. Ferguson has claimed 112 scalps in 96 matches at a strike rate of 17.8 and an economy of 7.54. But like Wood, he is also injury-prone. Perhaps the Titans could have spent more on an accomplished T20 performer instead of shelling out a whopping amount for the Kiwi pacer.