The IPL 2022 retentions are now over with a total of 27 players being retained by the existing eight franchises. There were a total of 19 Indian players and nine overseas players in the list. While there were expected players retained, there were some surprising exclusions as well. The franchises spent a total of 269 crores overall on retaining the 27 players. The IPL 2022 mega auctions are expected to be held in the first week of January next year.

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra in his recent Youtube video has picked six capped players who can be the most expensive buys in the upcoming mega auctions. He started his analysis by speaking first about Hardik Pandya and IPL 2021 Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel.

“Hardik Pandya will be an expensive buy. Don’t look at his current form, injuries as no other all-rounder can match his skillset. He can bat no. 5, 6, and 7, can bowl a few overs as well, plus he is a gun fielder. So, I think he will be a very expensive buy,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

Chopra’s third and fourth picks were brothers Rahul and Deepak Chahar. The former cricketer concluded his list by adding the likes of Ravi Ashwin and ace batter Shikhar Dhawan.

Aakash Chopra Expects Shikhar Dhawan To Fetch Big Bucks In Mega Auction

“Harshal Patel was not retained (by RCB). He is a proven commodity. He is not one season wonder as he recently played for India and did well. It’s not like that he has performed on a few grounds. He has bowled well everywhere he has played, and has got plenty of variations up his sleeves,” Chopra added.

“Shikhar Dhawan is a bank of 500-600 runs. He scores run in India and overseas. He gives a rocket start in T20s. A lot of teams will be interested in him. We might see a David-Dhawan (David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan) reunion. Ahmedabad might buy both of them,” Chopra concluded.

KL Rahul is another capped player who was released in the retentions. As per several media reports, he is likely to lead the Lucknow franchise in IPL 2022.

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