IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Five most surprising buys

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end recently with a lot of nail-biting action as the franchises had invested a lot of money and time in building their squads for the upcoming edition. As expected, Ishan Kishan turned out to be the most expensive buy for INR 15.25 Crores by the Mumbai Indians while the new teams did really well in the auction as well. Here are the 5 surprising buys in the mega auction.

Devdutt Padikkal:

Devdutt Padikkal was bought for a price of INR 7.75 Crores by the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 mega auction and it proved to be a big mystery as they have already retained the likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The top three have done really well towards the end of last season and it looked like the Royals would be eager to add some players to their middle order. They have picked up youngsters like Riyan Parag for the middle order role which is a little big strange.

Wanindu Hasaranga:

Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was one of the most expensive buys of the IPL 2022 mega auction and he was fetched by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping INR 10.75 Crores. The leg spinner is yet to be tested in IPL as he has played just two games so far in the tournament last year although his T20I numbers have been great. RCB did not retain or bid for Yuzvendra Chahal who is one of their match winners for years now which seemed strange and went instead for the overseas option. 

Nicholas Pooran:

Nicholas Pooran for INR 10.75 Crores is always a big gamble considering his numbers in IPL and he is yet to set the stage on fire in the tournament though he has all the talent in the world. He has relatively been in very poor form in recent times and has been struggling to play the big knocks. Sunrisers Hyderabad decided to opt for Pooran instead of retaining their seasoned campaigners like Jonny Bairstow who had gone for a lesser price in the auction.

Jofra Archer:

Jofra Archer was picked up for INR 8 Crores in the mega auction and more than the price money, it was the availability of the England seamer that surprised everyone. Archer has already stated that he will not be taking part in IPL 2022 and Mumbai Indians will have his services from next year where a lot of dynamics could change. He is prone to injuries as well and England’s tough tight schedule will always come into play.

Khaleel Ahmed:

Delhi Capitals made some good buys in the mega auction, but it looked like they were slightly off the track while buying Khaleel Ahmed. The left-arm seamer was bought for a price of INR 5.25 Crores in the mega auction which seemed a little strange considering his IPL numbers from the past. He hasn’t played many games off late and Delhi should have opted for an experienced seamer in the attack.