IPL 2022 Auction: Predicting the 3 most expensive marquee players

The IPL 2022 Auction is set to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Earlier today, the player list for the same was released by the IPL, with 590 players set to go under the hammer.

10 players have been listed under the Marquee set, and they will be the first ones up for bidding at the event.

The players are Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Pat Cummins, Quinton de Kock, Shikhar Dhawan, Faf du Plessis, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Shami and David Warner.

Predicting the three most expensive marquee players at the IPL 2022 Auction

The players in the marquee set stand the best chance of fetching skyrocketing bids given the hefty purse cushions that franchises can work with.

With four top-drawer Indian names and six equally appealing overseas names in the marquee set, the IPL 2022 Auction is expected to have a rollicking start.

Here, we predict the three most expensive marquee players at the IPL 2022 Auction:

#3 Kagiso Rabada

Given the demand for a lead fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada is bound to command a lot of attention at the IPL 2022 Auction. Rabada has been a serial wicket-taker in the IPL for Delhi Capitals but was released ahead of the auction.

With teams looking to tick off fast bowlers who can bowl the difficult overs early on, Rabada should fetch more than the INR 4.2 crore he drew in 2018. While the marquee set also features Pat Cummins and Trent Boult, Rabada is arguably the quickest and most effective of the lot in the death overs.

Expect Kagiso Rabada to walk away with a hefty paycheque on February 12, with multiple teams gunning hard for his services at the IPL 2022 Auction.

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#2 David Warner

Things have looked onwards and upwards for David Warner post his infamous removal as skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Warner was declared Player of the Tournament in Australia's triumph at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 and he was also part of their successful Ashes campaign.

Warner has been one of the most consistent batters in the IPL and a title-winning skipper as well. So, despite age not favoring him, one can expect groundbreaking bids to come his way at the IPL 2022 Auction.

There are teams on the lookout for a captain and two new teams aiming to establish their brand. Given Warner's connect with the Indian fans, the latter too tips the scales in his favor.

It shouldn't come as a surprise if Warner fetches close to the INR 12.5 crore he drew at SRH when he was retained by the franchise in 2018.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer was the most expensive uncapped player at the IPL 2015 Auction when Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) shelled out INR 2.6 crore for the Mumbai batter.

Iyer also won the Emerging Player of the Season Award that year and since then, his game has gone from strength to strength.

From being a pre-mega auction retention in 2018 to then going on to captain the Capitals, Iyer's graph has seen an upward curve.

All of 27, his best years are still ahead of him and he's arguably the best long-term captaincy option up for grabs at the IPL 2022 Auction.

As far as the marquee set goes, it is tough to look beyond Shreyas Iyer as the most expensive pick. There are teams on the lookout for a captain and given that an Indian captain is highly sought-after, time will stand still when Iyer's name comes up for bidding.