On February 12-13, the IPL 2022 mega auction will take place in Bengaluru. The competition has taken on new significance this year with the addition of two new teams from Lucknow (Super Giants) and Ahmedabad.
The final list for the big auction, which will take place in Bengaluru, includes 590 players. As the blockbuster auction date approaches, speculation about possible signings has grown as well.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra provided five predictions for who he feels would be the "most expensive overseas bowlers" in the auction on his official YouTube channel.
While Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult, both star players, are Chopra's first and second choices, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka is Chopra's third pick.
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The Sri Lankan spinner played only two games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2021 season before being released before the playoffs. Hasaranga, who finished 2021 as the joint-highest wicket-taker in T20Is (along with Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa), has set his basic price at Rs 1 crore.
“This is an out-of-the-box pick. If I was sitting at the auction table, I would go for Wanindu Hasaranga. He is a brilliant player of spin, he's your four-over bank. He would come in the middle and bowl four overs. He can even bowl with the new ball. RCB got him cheaply but they didn't use him. But RCB does that, so I'm not surprised or perturbed. But he should play,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
“Franchises should spend on him. For ₹4-5 crores, he would be a good overseas option. He's a bowler, a batter, a fielder. He's got the temperament to succeed in T20 cricket. I've no doubt in mind that if someone has strategized the auction and Hasaranga's name comes at the right time, there should be money spent on him.”
Dushmantha Chameera of Sri Lanka is another good auction selection, according to Chopra, who calls him an "underrated" talent.
“Dushmantha Chameera is another player. He's underrated. I don't know if it's because he plays for Sri Lanka. Half of the coaches here are Australian so they tend to go for their own players like Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Kyle Jamieson etc. Players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera aren't seen as exciting prospects which is sad,” said Chopra.
