The highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction had finally commenced on February 12. With the likes of some renowned T20 players like David Warner, Kagiso Rabada, Shikhar Dhawan, Trent Boult, etc, the ongoing player auction is undoubtedly the biggest ever the Indian T20 domestic league has ever witnessed.
The mega auction was initiated with the marquee set. The Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan was the first player drafted in the IPL 2022 auction. The attacking opener saw a bidding war between his former IPL team, Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS). The Punjab-based franchise finally emerged victorious in the battle and got Dhawan on board for Rs 8.25 crore.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the second player to go under the hammer in the IPL 2022 mega auction. The veteran Indian spinner was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 5 crore.
The newly appointed Australian Test captain, Pat Cummins was the next player in the draft. The Aussie-pacer received interest from several teams. After outbidding the rivals, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) managed to get Cummins for a hefty amount of Rs 7.25 crore.
The former DC pacer, Kagiso Rabada was next on the list. The Delhi-based franchise initiated the bid for the South African. Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings entered the bid, Rabada, at the end was sold to the latter for Rs 9.25 crore.
The next on the list was the Kiwi pacer, Trent Boult. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan engaged in a bidding duel. The bidding was later joined by Boult’s former IPL team Mumbai Indians (MI). After an interesting bidding war, the left-arm pacer was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 8 crore.
The sixth player on the list was the highly anticipated Shreyas Iyer. The former DC skipper received the quickest bidding of the auction. The bid was aggressively started by Delhi. With the inclusion of KKR and Gujarat Titans, the auction saw its first 10+ crore bid of the day. After an intense bidding war, Iyer ended up with the Knight Riders for a whopping amount of Rs 12.25 crore.
The next on the list was the Indian speedster, Mohammed Shami. The former PBKS player received bidding from RCB and Gujarat. Lucknow entered the fray with Bangalore. In the end, Shami was sold to the Gujarat-based franchise for Rs 6.25 crore.
The next player was one of the top run-scorers of IPL 2021, Faf Du Plessis. The top-order batsman saw an opening bid at the base price by the player’s former IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings. Bangalore and Delhi entered the bid. The former South African skipper was sold to RCB for Rs 7 crore.
Quinton De Kock, another player from the Proteas clan emerged in the marquee set. Chennai, Lucknow and Mumbai Indians fight it out for the player. The southpaw was finally sold to Lucknow Supergiants for Rs 6.75 crore.
The last name on the list was one of the most renowned players in IPL history, David Warner. DC commence the initial bid for the Aussie opener, Chennai makes the bid interesting with their inclusion. The five-time IPL champions enter the bid late but the former Sunrisers Hyderabad player was finally sold to Delhi for Rs 6.25 crore.
This puts an end to the marquee set of IPL 2022 mega auction. All 10 players from the set were sold with Iyer being the costliest bid.