A total of 204 players were sold in the IPL 2022 auction at Bengaluru. Franchises competed for two days to rope in the best players for their squad. A total of INR 550 crores was spent on signing players from all over the world. While some well-known stars failed to find a buyer, a few players ignited a bidding war.
Some teams that were proactive in their tactics were also able to get some excellent players for significantly lower prices during the auctions. Surprisingly, many of the T20 superstars were sold at their base price. These unexpected deals often happen in the auctions since all the franchises have a limited purse, and the time at which a player’s name appears in the auction also plays a major role in deciding his price.
Here’s a look at top 3 bargain buys from the IPL 2022 Mega-Auction:
#3 Jason Roy (INR 2 crore) – Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans struck a bargain when they signed Jason Roy for just 2 crores. The explosive opener has been a key component of England’s white-ball success. In 58 T20Is, he has scored 1446 runs at a strike rate of 143.45.
Roy has made 329 runs at an average of 29.90 in 13 IPL matches so far, with a high score of 91*. Shubman Gill and Roy can form a good opening pair for Gujarat.
#2 Devon Conway (1 Crore) – Chennai Super Kings
One of the smartest buys of the auction, Devon Conway is currently placed at 6 in the ICC T20I Rankings for batters. In 20 T20Is, he has scored 602 runs with an average of 50.16, striking at 139.35. He was instrumental in New Zealand’s journey to the T20 World Cup 2021 final.
Conway is a versatile batsman who can bat anywhere from 1 to 5, which is exactly the type of players CSK and MS Dhoni like. Chennai can also develop him as a long-term wicketkeeping option.
KIWI Vanakkam from Devon Conway!#Yellove #WhistlePodu 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/BUHt7Hy7tK
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) February 14, 2022
#1 David Warner (INR 6.25 Crore) – Delhi Capitals
Given Warner’s IPL record, Delhi Capitals are very lucky to get the southpaw for less than 10 Cr. “I cannot believe that we got such a legend at Rs 6.25 crore,” DC co-owner Parth Jindal had said on Day 1 of the mega-auctions. Fans are now looking forward to seeing the destructive pair of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner, open for the Delhi Capitals.
Warner has played 150 IPL games, amassing 5,449 runs, hitting four hundreds and 50 half-centuries. No overseas player has more runs than him in the cash-rich league. In the T20 World Cup 2021, Warner was named Player of the Tournament.
Warner began his IPL career with the Delhi franchise, played for them from 2009 to 2013, before joining Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Australian opener won the Orange Cap thrice during his time with SRH.
Delhi people are known to strike a bargain, but getting David Warner for just 6.25cr is a Sarojini Nagar market level bargain 🤯 #IPLAuction2022 #IPL2022
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 12, 2022
