IPL 2022 auction: 4 openers most teams will target

The IPL mega-auction is set to be held in a week's time on February 12 and13 at Bengaluru. The 15th season of the cash-rich league will feature two new teams - with the Lucknow Super Giants and CVC-backed team Ahmedabad added to the mix.

The BCCI released the list of 590 players that will go under the hammer next week. Of the finalized list, 228 are capped players, 355 are uncapped players and seven belong to Associate Nations. Of the 590 players, 370 are Indians and the remaining 220 are overseas players.

With this being the last mega-auction for a length of time, all the franchises will look to buy the best players to build their squads. Many teams are looking for good openers as the first step towards revamping their squads.

We look at four such openers who could spark a bidding war at the upcoming IPL mega-auction.

#1 David Warner

Australia v England - T20 Game 2

The Player of the Tournament in the last T20 World Cup, David Warner, is among 49 players who have listed their base price at ₹2 crores. Though Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their maiden IPL title in 2016, he was released by the Orange Army last year due to internal conflicts.

Warner is the fifth-highest run-scorer in the IPL and will certainly be a great addition to whichever team he joins. Most franchises will want him in their side as an opener and he could also captain the team. Given his prowess in the shortest format, Warner could certainly bag north of ₹15 crores.

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#2 Johnny Bairstow

England v Australia - 3rd Royal London Series One Day International

Despite his incredible success for the Sunrisers, Jonny Bairstow has not been retained by the franchise this season. The English batsman has played three seasons for SRH, scoring 1,038 runs including seven half-centuries and a ton.

Bairstow's ability to keep the stumps will put him on the wishlist of most teams and boosts his chances of getting sold at a higher price during the auction.

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#3 Shikhar Dhawan

Australia v India - ODI Game 2

Shikhar Dhawan proved that he still has it during India's recent tour of South Africa. The southpaw wreaked havoc overseas which speaks volumes about his form going into the mega-auction.

Since moving to the Delhi Capitals in 2019, Dhawan has shown incredible consistency, scoring 1,736 runs with two centuries and twelve fifty-plus scores. In IPL 2021 alone, Dhawan played 16 matches in which he scored 587 runs at an average of 39.

However, the explosive opener has not been retained by the franchise ahead of the upcoming season.

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#4 Jason Roy

Jason Roy is another attacking option in the list of openers who could spark a bidding war. He was signed by SRH in the second half of IPL 2021 as a replacement. Though he played a few good knocks for the franchise, SRH decided to release Roy ahead of the mega-auction.

This gives other franchises an opening to rope in the Englishman. A T20 specialist, Roy can certainly provide the franchise he joins with flying starts and some consistent run-scoring.