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Wicketkeeper-batters play a key role for franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) because of the versatile skills they bring along. They are expected to pull off brilliant catches and stumpings behind the wickets, while also contributing handsomely with the willow.
If you look at existing IPL teams, all franchises have had glovemen who are, or have been, match-winners in their own right. Rajasthan Royals (RR) are led by a wicketkeeper-batter in Sanju Samson. They also have Jos Buttler, who doesn’t keep wickets with Samson doing the job, but merits a place in the playing XI as a standalone batter.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) also had renowned keeper-batters in Jonny Bairstow and Dinesh Karthik respectively, who were released ahead of the IPL auction 2022.
IPL 2022 auction: Will these Indian glovemen attract big bids?
A few Indian wicketkeeper-batters, not retained by their respective franchises, could be in demand at the IPL 2022 auction. We profile three such names.
#3 Wriddhiman Saha
He may be 37, but the fight in Wriddhiman Saha is very much alive. The veteran cricketer demonstrated the same during the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, where he batted with a stiff neck and scored a crucial half-century. Saha is among the rare breed of cricketers who can totally change their style of batting as per the format. He is considered a dogged batter in Tests and equally aggressive in the IPL.
Saha did not have a great IPL 2021 season, scoring only 131 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of under 100. But it would be unfair to judge his performance on a standalone basis. SRH, as a team, looked disjointed and hardly anyone came up with decent efforts on a consistent basis.
In contrast, Saha hammered 214 runs in four games during IPL 2020 at a terrific strike rate of 139.86. Opening the innings in a match against the Delhi Capitals (DC), he matched David Warner (66 off 34) and blasted 87 in 45 balls. A brilliant keeper, Saha can be a huge impact player with the bat, if utilized smartly.
#2 KS Bharat
Andhra Pradesh’s wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat has been in terrific form with the bat in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. In Andhra’s last two matches, his scores have been 161* off 109 (vs Himachal Pradesh) and 156 off 138 (vs Gujarat). He also substituted for Saha during the Kanpur Test against New Zealand and was mighty impressive with his swift glovework.
28-year-old Bharat represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the IPL 2021 edition, in what was his maiden season in the T20 league. He did a decent job, scoring 191 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 122.43 and an average of 38.20.
Bharat’s only half-century in IPL 2021 was an unforgettable one. He smashed an unbeaten 78 off 52 in a match against DC just ahead of the Eliminator. The innings was extra special since Bharat hit a six off the last ball bowled by Avesh Khan to take RCB over the line. Given his recent form with the willow, he could be hot property at the IPL 2022 auction.
#1 Ishan Kishan
Ahead of the official announcement of the retention list, numerous reports had predicted that Ishan Kishan would be retained ahead of Suryakumar Yadav by Mumbai Indians (MI). Kishan had age on his side and also the added advantage of being a wicketkeeper-batter. However, MI went with experience and retained Yadav instead of Kishan.
The young left-hander need not be too worried though. If he doesn’t get picked up by one of the two new franchises, the 23-year-old explosive hitter should be in high demand at the IPL auction 2022. Kishan may have had a poor IPL 2021 season, but he ended the edition on a high, smashing a spectacular 84 off only 32 balls against a hapless SRH bowling attack. Before that, he spanked Rajasthan Royals (RR) en route to a 25-ball 50.
Those who have followed Kishan’s career would have been least surprised with the youngster’s brazen assault on SRH and RR bowlers. The left-handed batter had amassed 516 runs at a strike rate of 145.76 in MI’s IPL 2020 title triumph. Kishan has already registered two half-centuries for India in limited-overs formats.
He is capable of playing as a pure batter, but the fact that he can keep wickets makes Kishan an even bigger asset.
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