IPL Auction 2022: 3 all-rounders new franchises can target

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction is all set to be held in January. Since this will be a mega auction, a majority of players contracted with franchises will be back in the auction pool. Of course, the franchises have been given an option to retain a limited number of players.

The eight current teams can retain up to four players using the following combinations - two Indian and two overseas cricketers or three Indian players and one overseas cricketer. The deadline for existing franchises to retain players ends on Tuesday, November 30.

IPL 2022 will also see the addition of two new teams - Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The window for the two new franchises to pick players ahead of the mega auction will be from December 1 to December 25. The new franchises can pick two Indian players and one overseas player.

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IPL Auction 2022: Will Ahmedabad or Lucknow go for these all-rounders?

Although the retention list of franchises of IPL 2022 isn’t official yet, media reports have given a fair indication of the players likely to be kept by each team. We look at three all-rounders, who are unlikely to be retained and can, hence, be targeted by Ahmedabad or Lucknow.

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#1 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur appeals for a wicket. Pic: IPLT20.COM

IPL 2021 was played in two halves and Shardul Thakur’s performance in the two legs was as contrasting as chalk and cheese. In the IPL 2021 matches played in India, Thakur looked completely out of sorts for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He was bleeding runs at will and wasn’t picking up too many wickets either.

The forced break in the tournament due to COVID-19 worked to his advantage. He played a couple of Tests in England, made a huge impact with both the bat and ball and returned a rejuvenated player. Thakur was fantastic in the second half of IPL 2021 as CSK charged towards their fourth IPL title triumph.

Thakur picked up three key wickets in the final and ended the IPL season with highly impressive numbers - 21 wickets in 16 matches at a strike rate of 17.09. However, with CSK reportedly keen to retain MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali/ Sam Curran, Thakur could be a good bowling all-rounder option for the new franchises.

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#2 Jason Holder

Jason Holder stood out for SRH in IPL 2021. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a shockingly poor IPL 2021 season. They sacked their captain midway, then dropped him from the playing XI and made news for more wrong reasons than right. Whatever they tried did not work as SRH were trampled by most opponents. They finished bottom of the points table with just three wins and 11 losses.

Among the few bright spots for SRH in an otherwise forgettable IPL 2021 was all-rounder Jason Holder. The former West Indies captain bowled with purpose and made a genuine impact in the edition. He played only eight matches and ended up claiming 16 scalps at a strike rate of 11.93 and an economy rate of 7.75.

Not only was Holder impressive with the ball, but he also played a few blazing cameos with the bat to aid the franchise’s cause. Cricketing logic would say that he deserves to be retained, but that is unlikely to be the case.

According to reports, SRH might let everyone go barring skipper Kane Williamson. Apparently, talks are on with star leg-spinner Rashid Khan and he is the only other player likely to be retained.

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#3 Kyle Jamieson

Kyle Jamieson celebrates a wicket. Pic: IPLT20.COM

New Zealand’s tall pace-bowling all-rounder, Kyle Jamieson, was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a whopping ₹15 crore at the IPL 2021 auction. However, he wasn’t a consistent fixture in the franchise’s playing XI. Jamieson featured in nine matches and claimed as many wickets at an economy rate of 9.60. With the bat, he did not have a lot to do.

The Kiwi cricketer did not perform badly in the opportunities that he received, but RCB could not fit him in the playing XI constantly as their desired team combination was getting hampered. That said, Jamieson can be an asset to any team if utilized judiciously. The 26-year-old has proved the same in his short international career for New Zealand so far. He has been top-notch with the ball in the first Test against India in Kanpur.

Considering RCB did not utilize Jamieson’s skills to the optimum, the franchise is unlikely to retain him. Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Yuzvendra Chahal and Devdutt Padikkal are the four players likely to be picked by the franchise in their retention list. As such, Ahmedabad and Lucknow have a chance to pick the highly skilfull Jamieson.