Behold the IPL Mega Auction
Written by: Bhawana Jarwal
In its 15th year, the giant tournament has come full circle while reaching to a Mega Auction since inception, scheduled to convene on 12th and 13th February, 2022. Over 590 players will go under the hammer with total 10 teams calling bids for them. The teams will call bids for building their cores for the future and considering this mega auction is going to be the last of its kind, Brand Building around cricket icons might be seen as franchisees’ vision. The uproar about the impending mega auction is constructed around a lot of exciting plausibility, a few of which have been carved out here.
Race for the most expensive player
Every IPL auction sets an excitement for who is going to be the most expensive player of the season and the auction astonishes everyone at the end. This time around as well we have a few favorites who could be bought for a fortune. We are to witness the biggest bid war of all time as almost 3-4 teams are looking for captains, with the suitable favorites in David Warner, Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer. But do remember with great money comes great expectations (I know the saying is been molded a bit).
Legacy Building
The Franchisees have seen how grand the brands of MSD led Chennai Super Kings, Rohit led Mumbai Indians and Virat led Royal Challengers Bangalore have become and the fan following them hold. With the goal to win the IPL title, the franchisees will look towards the vision of building their team vis-à-vis brand around the current and future icons of the game. The franchisees want to construct such an aggregation that could churn out an unbreakable bond with the fans and create a legacy for them to be carried forward.
The new Entrants
BCCI had approved the participation of two new franchisees representing the cities Lucknow and Ahmedabad. The two new teams have proclaimed their names as Lucknow Super Giants and Gujrat Titans, captaining them are the two Indian favorites KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, respectively. BCCI has tried to introduce new franchisees in the past as well but that has not resulted fruitfully, as the new teams could not stick around for long, for one or the other reasons, such as Kochi Tuskers, Kerala, Pune Warriors, India, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants. We hope that the teams led by KL and Hardik carry a different fate for themselves.
An Ocean of opportunities for uncapped players
IPL was created to be benefactor for the domestic and uncapped players. It has always been a source of opportunities for the uncapped players and helped a lot of them to earn their national caps. This time around when the teams are rebuilding themselves from the core, it is an ocean of opportunities for the participating 355 uncapped players. The fresh crops also have a chance to earn big bucks in the auction such as Yash Dhull, Raj Bawa, Dinesh Bana, Dewald Brevis (Baby AB), as U-19 players & captains, especially the world cup winners have always been hot selling properties. Similarly, IPL 2022 is a juncture for uncapped players of every nation to perform and reflect themselves on the radars of their respective national selection committees.
We will miss them or they will miss it?
The likes of Mitchell Starc, Ben Stokes, Kyle Jamieson etc. have opted out of the grand league. The quality of cricket they could bring to the league is unimaginable and we surely are going to miss them. On the other hand, the big buck auction headed towards a ride of excitement, emotions and above all, quality cricket, is surely going to make them crave for it more.
Voice of auction
With the hammer in his hand, Richard Madley was the voice of IPL auctions till 2018 since its inception, to be replaced by Hugh Edmeadus afterwards. The commentary team of Sanjay Manjrekar, Aakash Chopra, Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Kaif will accompany us with their analysis and help us perceive the live proceedings of Mega Auction 2022.
Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment
The dynamics of this game have changed over the years and the logic behind bidding for players has also transformed in the same manner, as now the bids are placed with a view of players’ T20 skills, constant availability and adaptability towards the game. The mega auction will witness various battles such as battle for all-rounders, power hitters, star players, last over cum yorker specialists, but one thing is sure for us the viewers, that all in all there will be entertainment, entertainment and entertainment.
Complete List of Odds of all IPL Teams
Chennai Super Kings – 4.00
Mumbai Indians – 4.50
Delhi Capitals – 5.50
Royal Challengers Bangalore – 7.00
Kolkata Knight Riders – 7.50
Kings XI Punjab – 9.00
Rajasthan Royals – 9.00
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 11.00
Lucknow – 11.00
Ahmedabad – 11.00
