3 teams that will look to sign Ben Cutting in the 2022 IPL Mega Auction

Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting has been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for several years now. The Queensland player made his playing debut in the cash-rich league in 2014 for the Rajasthan Royals.

Cutting was part of the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) squad in 2012 but did not play a single game for them. After his stint in Rajasthan, Cutting moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad. He delivered a player of the match performance in the final in 2016, helping SRH to their maiden IPL title.

Since then, Cutting has moved to a couple of other teams in the cash-rich league as well. He was bought by the Mumbai Indians at the 2018 IPL auction, before being signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders at last year's auction.

However, Cutting last played an IPL game in 2019. Injury problems have hampered his career throughout, meaning there were doubts over his reliability as a frontline option for most sides.

In this article, we take a look at three sides that will look to sign Ben Cutting ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.

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#1 Kolkata Knight Riders may resign Ben Cutting

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired the services of Ben Cutting at last year's auction, signing the all-rounder at a base price of ₹75 lakhs. While Cutting failed to play a single game last season, he was signed as an ideal backup to someone like Andre Russell.

While his bowling numbers have been a tad disappointing in the cash-rich league, Cutting's batting ability certainly repairs some of the damage. With an average of 21 and a strike rate north of 160, while batting well down the order, Cutting has proved that he is no mug with the bat.

In the shortest format, where quickfire runs lower down are vital, Ben Cutting is certainly an ideal candidate to plug some holes in that position.

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#2 Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians have been one of the most consistent sides in the IPL. With their formula for success being their engine room ie, their flexible and so often reliable middle order, they are the most successful side in the tournament.

However, Mumbai have had to let go of a bunch of their core group of players. The Pandya brothers (Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya) were key players in their engine room.

As was the key role of the third pacer who could contribute with the bat. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marco Jansen and Ben Cutting himself have played that role quite successfully for Mumbai over the years.

With the Pandya brothers and all the aforementioned players missing out on a retention spot, Mumbai could look to get Ben Cutting back into their ranks. Not only can the 34-year old plug a few holes for MI, he could also be a good backup for Kieron Pollard.

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#3 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have retained three top-order batters in Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. More importantly, Rajasthan have chosen not to retain two of their best all-rounders in Ben Stokes and Chris Morris.

They have been searching for a dependable all-rounder to do the job for their side. While some of their most expensive signings have not always worked out, Ben Cutting could be a bargain option for the Royals.

Rajasthan will have work to do at the auction to rebuild their side from bottom to top. While they might have to spend the big bucks on world-class bowlers and well-known all-rounders, the Queensland all-rounder could be a smart signing for the Royals.