IPL 2022 Auction: 3 South African players who could fetch their first IPL contract based on T20 World Cup 2021 performance

South Africa fell narrowly short of qualifying for the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-finals, but they played excellent cricket for most parts of the competition. Despite defeating one of the best teams in the tournament on Saturday, the Proteas fell short on net run rate, forced to rue a dismal batting performance early in the Super 12 stage against Australia.

Despite their campaign coming to an end, the T20 World Cup allowed several South African stars to shine bright. Kagiso Rabada finished the tournament in style with a hat-trick, while Anrich Nortje was economical and lethal throughout. In the batting department, Aiden Markram continued to showcase his new power-hitting avatar.

These performances might appear to be in vain, but with two new teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a mega-auction on its way, they will be noticed. South Africans are no strangers to the IPL, with the likes of Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn being fan favorites.

Here are three South African players who could rake up their first IPL contract in 2022 based on T20 World Cup performances.

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#3 Keshav Maharaj

Economical and wicket-taking, Keshav Maharaj is a huge asset in the shortest format.

South Africa's metronomical spinner Keshav Maharaj is one of the few finger-spinners who appears to be keeping the dying art alive in the shorter formats. The left-arm orthodox bowler, who made his foray into the T20I side only in 2021, has succeeded at keeping things tight for his country, whether in the powerplay or the middle overs.

In the World Cup, barring one average outing of 0/34 against Sri Lanka, Maharaj conceded either 23 or 24 runs in every single game from his quota of overs, allowing South Africa the best possible chance in the contest. Although overseas spinners are sparingly used in the IPL at large, Maharaj's ability in a variety of conditions can guarantee him some interest at the upcoming auction.

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#2 Dwaine Pretorius

Dwaine Pretorius was South Africa's death bowling star at the T20 World Cup.

One of the most underrated Proteas players heading into the tournament, Dwaine Pretorius had the challenging task of being South Africa's death bowler. The 32-year-old quick bowler answered his captain's call, scalping nine wickets in five games.

Pretorius ensured South Africa won matches at the death, as he combined superbly with the likes of Rabada and Nortje to cut the flow of runs. His smart variations and use of angles foxed batsmen regularly, leading to his success. With quality death bowlers hard to find in the format, expect Pretorius to command large sums at the next IPL auction.

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#1 Rassie van der Dussen

Rassie van der Dussen starred for South Africa in their final Super 12 game.

Unlike Pretorius and Maharaj, Rassie van der Dussen had a huge amount of expectations riding on him. Although he failed in the game South Africa lost to Australia, he was in a rich vein of form, starting with the Proteas' warm-up match against Pakistan in which he starred with a hundred.

Against England, in a game South Africa needed to win by a big margin, Van der Dussen gave his team a great chance with a thrilling 94 not out. Given how IPL franchises often have a bias towards recent performances, the 32-year-old is sure to go for big money at the auction.

Deprived of a chance to join an IPL team in 2021, the next edition could be his big ticket.