The Indian Premier League 2022 season will begin from March 26 with Maharashtra hosting the league stages. The BCCI released the IPL 2022 schedule on Sunday. The tournament includes two new franchises this time – Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.
A retention round was held for the existing teams, followed by an opportunity for the new teams to pick players through the draft. After which, a mega-auction was held for all the teams, last month.
While some managed to crack their team perfectly, some seemed to have lost track at the IPL auctions. The mistakes at the auction table might cost some franchises a place in the playoffs.
In this article, we take a look at the three teams that might not make the playoffs of the Indian Premier League 2022 season.
#3 Gujarat Titans
The Gujarat Titans will be making their Indian Premier League debut in the upcoming 2022 season. They made great signings at the pre-auction drafts round, acquiring the services of Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, and Rashid Khan. However, they seem to have faltered at their auctions strategy.
Gujarat Titans team lacks firepower in the batting line-up. With Jason Roy, opting out of the tournament, the batting attack seems to be too dependent on Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya.
Another concern that will arise for the franchise is the fifth bowling option if Hardik is not fit to bowl. With big holes to fill up, the team may not reach the playoffs this season.
#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Sunrisers Hyderabad had a disastrous Indian Premier League 2021 season. They finished at the bottom of the table, with just three wins in 14 matches. The franchise will try to change its fortunes this season, however, their auction planning seemed strange.
Sunrisers Hyderabad heavily invested in their bowling attack. They signed the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natrajan, Marco Jansen, and Kartik Tyagi. However, their batting attack, without a standout Indian batter looks thin.
Kane Williamson, who will be leading the team, is battling with injuries. For Sunrisers to have any chance, they will need the youngsters – Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, and Abdul Samad to come to the party.
#1 Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders retained four players: Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy before the auctions. They begin the IPL 2022 auctions well, signing their skipper Shreyas Iyer, Pat Cummins, and Nitish Rana. However, missed their mark thereafter.
The signings of Sam Billings and Alex Hales salvaged their auction a bit. Ajinkya Rahane brings experience to the side, however, his has not been up to the mark.
The Kolkata Knight Riders squad featuring too many one-dimensional players in the top-order will be a cause of concern.
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