Archer, Mumbai Indians and Morgan ... IPL 2022 Auction winners and losers

BEN HART AND DOM HOGAN: After a mammoth two-day slog in Bengaluru, The Cricketer assesses who will be jumping for joy and who might be disappointed

Winners

Mumbai Indians: Them again

Mumbai Indians went into the auction having retained captain Rohit Sharma, star seamer Jasprit Bumrah, batter Suryakumar Yadav and legendary allrounder Kieron Pollard.

And as the tournament’s most successful side, they threw their considerable weight into the fray, snapping up one of the most sought-after players in Ishan Kishan for 15.25 crore (£1.49million) – having originally chosen not to retain the opener.

The gamble paid off.

Under-19 World Cup leading run-scorer Dewald Brevis was then enlisted in what looks like a shrewd piece of business, alongside uncapped medium-pacer Basil Thampi and Murugan Ashwin, who played only three games last season.

But day two saw more big names come to the fore, as Jofra Archer was soon added to their ranks, in an 8 crore (£783,000) deal which sets up a mouth-watering new ball partnership alongside Bumrah in 2023.

An elbow injury has already seen the Barbados-born seamer ruled out unti at least the summer, but this is a future prospect we can all get on board with.

You're not meant to wish your life away, but...

Many may argue that the absence of an equally prodigious spinner was an oversight, but the addition of Tymal Mills to that duo mean they have all bases covered in their quick-bowling battery.

With a formidable opening partnership already secure, the middle-order looks in good shape in the form of Tim David.

For 8.5 crore (£832,000), the Singapore batters' boundary-finding prowess will surely prove a bargain if he can maintain his franchise form, and he will prove a decent foil in the finisher role alongside the likes of Pollard.

Their third pick of day two, Tilak Varma will likely come in at four after Yadav, and much like Brevis, the 19-year-old Indian batter is very much an acquisition with the future in mind, though there is no reason that either of these two youngsters cannot stamp their names on world cricket.

The five-time winners needed to reinvigorate an under-performing side, and at first glance, they rather have ominously succeeded.

^{Dewald Brevis (ICC)}

Overseas allrounders hit the jackpot 

The most in-demand commodity at the 2022 IPL auction was undoubtedly the allrounder, with nearly every team spending big in that position.

But it was those from outside of host nation that attracted the highest fees, with two of the top 10 most expensive players being overseas allrounders.

The biggest deal was the 11 crore (£1.45m) that Punjab Kings paid for Liam Livingstone, following his emergence as one of the biggest hitters in world cricket.

Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga also attracted a big fee, as Royal Challengers Bangalore forked out 10.75 crore (£1.05m) for the spinner, who took 16 wickets at the T20 World Cup last year.

Australian World Cup-winning allrounders Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis were subjects of hefty bids as well, joining Delhi Capitals for 6.5 crore (£635,000) and Lucknow Super Giants for 9.2 crore (£900,000), respectively.

Stoinis was joined by the West Indies' Jason Holder, after his 16 wickets in eight IPL games in 2021 earned him a big-money 9.25 crore (£905,000) move from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

These deals, and others, just go to show the premium that these multi-faceted players can expect to get in modern franchise cricket, cleaning up in the IPL auction.

It is also worth noting that Chennai Super Kings paid 8 crore to retain the services of Moeen Ali for 2022 prior to the draft, such is his value to the side, after his 357 runs and six wickets last time out.

Under 19 World Cup stars cash-in

Timing is everything in this sport. And for a clutch of players appearing in the Caribbean for the Under-19 World Cup, they thrust themselves into the limelight at an opportune moment.

Top run-scorer and player of the tournament Dewald Brevis was snatched up by Mumbai Indians for 3 crore (£294,000)

But for India’s victorious squad, there were three players who managed to win a contract at an IPL franchise.

Captain Yash Dhull went to Capitals for 50 lakhs (£49,000) after scores of 110 and 82 against Australia and South Africa.

Allrounder Rajvardhan Hangargekar was snapped up by four-time winners CSK for 1.5 crore (£147,000), after his eight wickets and 53 runs at the tournament sparked a three-way bidding war.

But the biggest fee for any tournament player was the 2 crore (£195,720) paid by Punjab Kings for Raj Ankad Bawa, another young Indian allrounder.

He was influential with both bat and ball, scoring 252 runs and taking 10 wickets, including five for 31 in the final and a 162* against Uganda earlier in the tournament.

Mitch Marsh added the BBL title to the T20 World Cup (Mike Owen/Getty Images)

Jofra Archer - injured but not forgotten

After missing the 2021 tournament and being released by Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer was signed by Mumbai Indians.

Alongside Jasprit Bumrah, there is a fascinating prospect of two of the greats of T20 cricket bowling in tandem.

That site will have to wait until 2023 at the earlest, with Archer having already been ruled out until the summer at the earliest.

With Bumrah, Mills, Daniel Sams and Riley Meredith on board, investing 8-crore in Archer was a calculated gamble, knowing he could fetch much more when fully fit in 2023.

There is of course a degree of cuation required, with the 25-year-old having spent nearly a year out and undergone two surgeries on that troublesome elbow.

But his submission in the auction was a reminder that his return is not far away. And when it comes, it'll be worth waiting for.

Ishan Kishan

Another Mumbai Indians acquisition who will feel extremely pleased with the way the weekend went.

The opener was not retained prior to the weekend, but the 15.25 crore fee is a nice sweetener and one of the most expensive deals of the auction.

Kishan was one of the most sought-after names and for good reason given his remarkable T20 record at such a young age.

The opener, 23, has managed 2,697 runs in 109 T20 matches, including two centuries and 15 fifties at an average of 28.83. Though last term was a relatively lean one he was still his side’s fifth-highest run-scorer with 241 and a high of 81.

It was in 2020 that Kishan truly announced himself, finishing the season with 514 runs and an average of 57.33, striking at 145.76.

While he is an extraordinarily talented batter, much of the premium on his fee is down to his age and the fact that he can only get better in the years to come. Mumbai have a habit of going early on this kind of talent.

Now with six India caps to his name, this IPL season gives Kishan the opportunity to transition from talented youngster for the future to consistent performer at the top level.

Liam Livingstone will be eager to better his 2021 returns (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Liam Livingstone

Livingstone’s rise in white-ball cricket in the past 18 months continues in the form of an 11 crore (£1.45m) move to Punjab Kings.

Livingstone was out-of-sorts at Rajasthan Royals last term but in between had a breakthrough summer with England, a fine campaign with Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.

Not just an enormous hitter, he's one of the few spinners capable of spinning it both ways. He's taken 68 wickets in 165 T20 games across - including two four-wicket hauls - six of which came at last year’s T20I World Cup when England crashed out in the semi-finals.

He's smashed his way to over 4,000 runs in that time and his reputation with the bat goes before him.

Deepak Chahar

Chahar was another allrounder to benefit from the premium paid for the game’s multi-talented players after he was bought by CSK for 14 crore (£1.37m).

Chahar, who like Kishan was bought back by his former club, was the second most expensive player in the auction and became the most expensive Indian fast bowler bought at auction in history.

He has featured 20 times for India’s white-ball sides, scoring 142 runs and taking 27 wickets, as well as taking 59 in 63 IPL matches (14 in 15 last season).

But Chahar’s prowess is in the powerplay, having taken more wickets in that stage, 42, than any other bowler since his debut for CSK, underlining his ability to disrupt lower-order batters seeking to find the boundary early on.

Though he may not have the numbers to rival other players in his role, that kind of prowess in the first six overs.

His numbers are somewhat more modest than one might expect for a player that demanded the second highest fee, but CSK’s talismanic leader MS Dhoni prefers that the side keep as many of the same players together as they can.

Eoin Morgan is set for a watching brief (DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Losers

Eoin Morgan

The England white-ball captain went unsold in the mega auction with no side interested in his base price of 1.5 crore (£146,736).

Morgan skippered the Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2021 IPL final but now finds himself without a contract.

The Irishman had a disappointing campaign with the bat last year, scoring just 133 runs in 17 matches and was released after defeat to CSK in the final. 

It remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old appears in the competition, with injuries and Covid replacements inevitable between now and late March.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Only the Super Giants spent more than Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL auction, but the latter's squad doesn't look much stronger than the one that finished bottom of the 2021 league stage.

After biding their time, they recklessly splashed out 10.75 crore (£1.05m) on Nicholas Pooran, who failed to make a significant impression with the Punjab Kings.

Pooran scored just 85 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 111 in the 2021 IPL, an underwhelming campaign on the back of a more promising 2020 tournament. 

Sunrisers will hope that team batting coach Brian Lara will be able to bring the best out of his fellow West Indian left-hand bat.

Captain Kane Williamson has been struggling with elbow injuries and if he is to miss even a single fixture then the Orange Army’s batting line-up looks severely underpowered, with no obvious deputy.

It’s proving to be a familiar issue for the franchise with huge pressure now on the shoulders of Aiden Markram and Rahul Tripathi at the top of the order.

The Sunrisers also passed on taking an aggressive spinner, with Washington Sundar, who is not renowned for his wicket-taking ability, the only stand-out spin option.

Kane Williamson (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

World-Cup winning Aussies

Despite claiming their country’s first T20 World Cup last year there was no space in any IPL franchise for Aaron Finch or Steve Smith. 

Other high profile Aussies to be snubbed included Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne.

Finch, who holds the record for most runs for Australia in the T20 format, played for eight different franchises between 2010 and 2020 but remained unsold this year.

Smith was also left unpicked after the two-day auction, with no franchise prepared to meet his base price of 2 crore (£195,000).

It was not all bad news for the Aussies, however, as Josh Hazelwood, Pat Cummins, Mitch Marsh and David Warner all picked up lucrative deals.

Leg-spinners

A big surprise of the auction saw a number of experienced leg-spinners unsold, an interesting development considering the potency of the discipline in recent times.

Adil Rashid’s snub led former England captain Michael Vaughan to take to Twitter, expressing surprise that none of the 10 franchises had space as one of the “best game changers" in T20 cricket.

Rashid only made his IPL debut midway through last season’s campaign for the Punjab Kings, featuring just once as they failed to make the playoffs.

Also neglected was evergreen South African Imran Tahir, who aged 42 may have played his last IPL game. Or not.

Tahir won the Purple Cap for most wickets at the 2019 IPL but did not feature in the Chennai Super Kings side that won the 2021 final.

Elsewhere, India’s Amit Mishra and Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichane were unselected.

Mishra’s absence is particularly surprising, given he would not occupy an overseas spot and is the all-time Indian leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 166.

Suresh Raina goes on the attack (Getty Images)

Suresh Raina

Raina was a key figure in CSK’s title wins in 2018 and 2021 but was released by the franchise and has remained unattached.

The decision has caused some angst amongst the fans of one of the best-followed franchises in India.

CEO Kasi Viswanath admitted the decision was a difficult one but pointed towards the team’s balance and composition. These kinds of considerations are being increasingly prioritised in white-ball cricket.

It’s one of few changes CSK have made to their squad but a curious one considering they backed Ambati Rayudu at 6.75 crore (£660,000). Rayudu is a year older than Raina at 36 and has only outscored his compatriot in two IPL seasons since making his debut in 2010.

This is the first time that Raina has finished an IPL auction unsold and like many of the other losers from the mega auction on this list, it raises questions over his future participation in the cash-rich league.

Wasteful KKR

Knight Riders spent big on day one of the auction but with little to show for their outlay.

Their three costliest additions in the shape of Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana left them with Ajinkya Rahane as a possible opener.

Alex Hales is an obvious alternative, but it might be tricky to fit him into their starting XI with the selection of other overseas recruits Cummins, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Sam Billings, the possible first choice to keep wicket, taking priority.

The bowling line-up is far from the strongest either, with a lot riding on Cummins, who is likely to miss as much as two weeks of the tournament when Australia tour Pakistan.

Fans tuned in from across the world to see the outcome of the drat (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The viewer

Five hundred and ninety players. Ten teams. Dozens of bids and permutations. It was a two-day marathon in Bangalore.

For those attempting to follow the IPL auction, it was an epic commitment, particularly for those in the UK.

Broadcaster Sky Sports' footage at one stage cut to the Pakistan Super League and moved online. And then later went down completely.

The shrewd fans among you will have followed The Cricketer's live blog.

Some franchises dragged out the process, especially Punjab Kings, who pondered over their decisions for longer than most. It is time for bid clocks and smaller player lists.

There were some unpreventable and distressing scenes on day one as auctioneer Hugh Edmeades suffered a health scare, which saw the 62-year-old collapse and subsequently replaced.

Presenter Charu Sharma stepped in before Edmeades returned for the final hour.