IPL 2022 Auction: 3 teams that will target Siddharth Kaul

Pacer Siddharth Kaul has been a regular feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2013, playing 58 matches. The pacer was recently released by SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), having made eight appearances last in IPL 2021.

The IPL 2022 Mega Auction is set to be held on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. This will be the first time that the IPL auction will be held over two days.

SRH opted to retain Kane Williamson, who is expected to remain their captain. They also retained the uncapped duo of Abdul Samad and Umran Malik.

Kaul, who had been with the team since 2016, will now go into the IPL 2022 auction.

Kaul has played 54 matches in the IPL, picking up 58 wickets. He has an economy rate of 8.58 and is not a very cheap bowler.

His best form came in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, he picked 16 wickets in 10 matches and then in 2018, he claimed 21 scalps in 17 matches as SRH reached their second IPL final.

However, since then he has found himself mostly on the bench, making seven, one and eight appearances respectively in the following three seasons.

The 31-year-old has played three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals (T20Is) for India.

He has played 63 First Class matches, 99 List A matches and a total of 124 T20s, including international matches and IPL games.

While he has been an expensive prospect in the IPL, his experience and skill can make him a handy asset for an IPL team. This is especially in a department that requires depth over the course of a season.

Here are 3 teams that may go after Siddharth Kaul in the IPL auction:

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#1 Punjab Kings

Siddharth Kaul represents Punjab in domestic cricket. Punjab Kings (PBKS) may look to go for the experienced pacer to add some depth to their pace department.

Punjab Kings have retained uncapped left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh. Kaul could be be a good experienced head to partner him in the attack or be on the bench as a rotation option.

PBKS have the largest purse left for the IPL auction 2022 and will have the money to spend on building a bowling attack. They can easily afford Kaul to add depth to their squad.

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#2 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have a history of investing in Indian pacers and Siddharth Kaul may fit the bill for them.

They had the likes of Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya and Kartik Tyagi in their team last season. They might look to get Kaul to fill in one of their places if they can't buy them back at the auction.

Players like Sakariya and Tyagi have done well for RR and they may bring the best out of Kaul as well. His skiddy pace makes him a good option in the Powerplay with the new ball and an enforcer in the middle overs.

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#3 SunRisers Hyderabad

SunRisers Hyderabad bought Siddharth Kaul in 2016 and then again in the 2018 auction. It may just be the case that they bid for him again, maintaining continuity with a player who has served them well in the past.

Out of his 54 IPL appearances, 43 have come for SRH, with two good seasons for them.

While he made just a single appearance for SRH in IPL 2020, he got a run of eight games last season, picking up seven wickets.

While SRH will look to rebuild their team, Kaul would be handy as a known commodity and a good squad player for the Kane Williamson-led team.