IPL 2022 Auction: Predicting the top 5 buys

#3 Jason Holder

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder. Pic: Getty Images

Seasoned West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder (base price ₹1.5 crore) has been in fantastic form of late in T20 cricket, especially with the ball. He was the standout performer in the team’s 3-2 triumph at home against England. The 30-year-old picked up 15 wickets at a strike rate of 7.4 and an economy rate of 7.78. He registered excellent figures of 4 for 7 in the opening game and claimed 5 for 27 in the decider. Holder claimed four wickets in four balls in the final T20I to bowl West Indies to victory.

He carried on his good form into the ODI series in India, scoring a fighting half-century in a losing cause in the first match in Ahmedabad. Holder has the ability to win games with both the bat and ball. He has some amazing variations and his slower deliveries are well-disguised. Even with the willow, he can strike the ball as cleanly as anyone in the business.

Holder has proved his prowess in the IPL as well in the limited opportunities that he has had. The tall pacer has claimed 35 wickets in 26 matches at an average of 22.45. On the batting front, he has scored 189 runs at a strike rate of 121.15. There are plenty of reasons for him to be in demand at the auction.

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#2 Wanindu Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga during the T20 World Cup. Pic: Getty Images

Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga (base price ₹1 crore) is among the biggest match-winners on the T20 circuit at present. The 24-year-old leg-break bowler has amazing variations with the ball to unsettle the best of batters. He has the ability to play game-changing knocks with the willow as well.

He was the leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2021, claiming 16 wickets in eight matches at an average of under 10. This included a hat-trick against South Africa in a losing cause. Hasaranga also contributed 119 runs with the bat at a strike rate of 148.75. He came up with decent performances in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) as well.

The versatile Sri Lankan cricketer’s skills are perfectly suited to the T20 format. His record in the format speaks for itself - 110 wickets in 83 games at a strike rate of 14.8 and an economy rate of 6.39. He also has 979 runs at a strike rate of 136.92. It will be a surprise if he is not among the top buys at the IPL 2022 mega auction.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan. Pic: Getty Images

He may be 36 but Shikhar Dhawan (base price ₹2 crore) only seems to be getting better with age. It wasn't until a few years back that his strike rate was questioned. This was also one of the prime reasons he lost his place in the Indian T20 squad. However, he has worked really hard on his T20 skills. In the last two IPL seasons, Dhawan has been a completely different player.

During the 2020 season, he hammered 618 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 144.73 and an average of 44.14. He also became the first batter to smash consecutive hundreds in the IPL. In the last edition as well, the southpaw scored close to 600 runs in 16 matches although his form tapered away in the UAE leg.

Dhawan has the experience of playing 192 IPL matches in which he has amassed 5784 runs at an average of 34.84 and a strike rate of 126.64. Apart from two hundreds, he has also struck 44 fifties. Being an opener, he will have a big role to play. Considering his prolific form, he should be in huge demand at the auction.