IPL 2022 Auction: 3 steals from the marquee set

The first set of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is now complete, and the 10 players who were labeled "marquee" have found their new franchises.

Shreyas Iyer was the most expensive buy of the set as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snapped him up for INR 12.25 crore, with others like Kagiso Rabada and Shikhar Dhawan fetching lucrative deals. KKR also acquired former player Pat Cummins, who was sold for INR 7.25 crore.

At the other end of the spectrum, a few players fetched fewer than was initially expected. Here are three steals from the marquee set of the IPL 2022 auction.

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#3 R Ashwin (RR, 5 cr)

India v Scotland - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have struggled with spin-bowling quality in the recent past. Having been overloaded with leg-spinners, the inaugural IPL champions have been let down by a lack of wicket-taking threat from the likes of Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag and Mayank Markande.

RR have taken a big step towards righting their wrongs with the acquisition of Ravichandran Ashwin, who was sold for a meager INR 5 crore. The off-spinner might be on the wrong side of 30 but has recently proved himself to be a match-winner in white-ball cricket, having made his comeback to the Indian team after a series of consistent performances.

Ashwin will also add value to the RR leadership group, which has other thinking names like Kumar Sangakkara and Sanju Samson. He can contribute with the bat and will bring his immense experience to a team that has often picked up-and-coming cricketers.

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#2 Mohammed Shami (GT, 6.25 cr)

India v Namibia - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021

Given the dearth of Indian pacers on display at the IPL 2022 auction, Mohammed Shami being signed by the Gujarat Titans seems like a massive steal. Bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been retained by their respective franchises, leaving very few out-and-out Indian fast bowlers in the auction pool.

As the lead bowler for the Punjab Kings, Shami has excelled over the last few IPL seasons. He regularly provided breakthroughs at the start of the innings and took on death-bowling duties alongside Arshdeep Singh, generating good pace and swing in the opening powerplay.

The Titans already have a strong Indian core in Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill, and Shami will only add weight to a team that is shaping up nicely.

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#1 David Warner (DC, 6.25 cr)

New Zealand v Australia - ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final 2021

Despite being 35 years old and on the back of an ugly fall-out with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner was always expected to be one of the biggest buys in the IPL 2022 auction. Surprisingly, while several teams were interested in the aggressive southpaw, the Delhi Capitals (DC) eventually snapped him up for a reasonable price of INR 6.25 cr.

With the acquisition, DC paired Prithvi Shaw with another consistent left-hander in Warner, who has played for the franchise before and understands its working. The opener will also be reunited with coach Ricky Ponting, who has shown a willingness to back players from Australia in the IPL.

Warner, who was the Player of the Tournament at the 2021 T20 World Cup, clearly has a lot left in the tank. And after going for players like Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, DC probably acquired the best player of the lot.