3 players released by RCB who would be on the radar of new teams before IPL Auction 2022

IPL Auction 2022 is expected to happen next month. Ahmedabad and Lucknow will make their auction debut in 2022. But before the IPL Auction 2022 begins, both teams can sign a maximum of three players each to add firepower to their squad.

The BCCI has allowed both franchises to pick the players released by the franchises ahead of IPL Auction 2022. According to reports, KL Rahul and Rashid Khan have been in talks with the Lucknow franchise.

The new teams will try to sign players who have performed well in recent IPL seasons. Royal Challengers Bangalore have been one of the most consistent teams in the last two seasons. They qualified for the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.

Although RCB could not win the trophy, their players impressed fans and pundits alike. The new franchises will try to sign RCB's best performers who were released by the franchise ahead of IPL Auction 2022. The following three names will be on Ahmedabad and Lucknow's radar.

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#1 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal was surprisingly released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore before IPL Auction 2022 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has played a massive role in the Royal Challengers Bangalore's success over the last few seasons. He picked up 139 wickets for the Bangalore-based franchise in 113 matches, including two four-wicket hauls.

The Royal Challengers surprisingly released Chahal before IPL Auction 2022. The team management retained the trio of Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell.

Looking at the recent social media activity of Chahal and RCB, it seems likely that the Bangalore-based franchise will go for him at the IPL Auction 2022. However, the two new franchises may look to sign him and stop him from entering the mega auction.

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#2 Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal was one of the best batters for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2020 and 2021. He made his IPL debut in 2020 and inside a year, the left-hander made his international debut for the Indian cricket team.

Padikkal's consistency at the top played a vital role in RCB's Top 4 finish in the past two seasons. RCB have released their rising star ahead of IPL Auction 2022, and since he could be a long-term asset, the two new franchises could target him for the 2022 season.

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#3 Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel was the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2021. He also won the IPL 2021 Purple Cap award. Still, the Royal Challengers Bangalore did not retain him before the IPL Auction 2022.

Like Devdutt Padikkal, Patel made his international debut after performing well for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium will assist a bowler like Harshal. Notably, he was born in Gujarat and has played domestic cricket for the state.

Thus, the Ahmedabad franchise could target him before the IPL Auction 2022. Even the Lucknow franchise may try to acquire his services because he is a match-winner who can scalp wickets regularly for the team.

It will be interesting to see if any of the players released by RCB earn a contract from one of the two new teams.