Punjab lost their former captain KL Rahul to Lucknow Super Giants and apparently paid over the odds to bring in an opening partner for Mayank Agarwal, notwithstanding that Dhawan scores at a sub-130 strike rate in the shortest format.
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At the post-session press conference, Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman explained the decision, saying their idea has been to create a core group with good and experienced Indian players. (FILE)
IPL Auction 2022:The first round of auction of 10 marquee players threw up an โopening surpriseโ, Shikhar Dhawan going to Punjab Kings for Rs 8.25 crore after a three-way bidding war. Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, too, were heavily involved in the bidding before giving up.
For a 36-year-old player out of the Indian T20I set-up, such intense bidding was unexpected, with the franchises keeping an eye on the future. But every auction has its own dynamics and sometimes the auction room mood decides the eventual outcome.
Sizzling Shikhar, runs di no fikar ๐ฒ#TATAIPLAuction #IPLAuction #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/M8EcugYyTa
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 12, 2022
Punjab lost their former captain KL Rahul to Lucknow Super Giants and apparently paid over the odds to bring in an opening partner for Mayank Agarwal, notwithstanding that Dhawan scores at a sub-130 strike rate in the shortest format.
At the post-session press conference, Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman explained the decision, saying their idea has been to create a core group with good and experienced Indian players.
Ladies and gentlemen, some wise words from Sadda Coach @anilkumble1074
If you're not excited for the #IPLAuction now, you'd be lying ๐คญ#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/D3XU2Oj2iY
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 12, 2022
Faf du Plessis going to Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 7 crore showed that openers were in demand. A Chennai Super Kings legend, his old franchise went for the 37-year-old to a certain extent before pulling out.
โTo a certain extent, the old bonding plays a part. But beyond a certain level, you cannot be looking at what I would say is our attachment. It is going to be decided on the future of the team,โ CSK chief executive Kasi Viswanathan told this paper before the auction. The four-time IPL champions stayed true to their plan.
Sizzling Shikhar ๐ฅ
Nice name coined by our very own Shashi Dhiman๐
What do you think, #SaddeFans?#IPLAuction #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/46ifxV3Wm9
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 12, 2022
Also, during the bidding of Quinton de Kock, who went to Lucknow for Rs 6.75 crore, CSK dropped a clear hint that they were looking for MS Dhoniโs successor, the way they went toe to toe with RCB. Over the last 14 seasons, wicketkeeper-batsman was the franchiseโs most assured spot. This auction, though, is about building a team for the future.
๐ฃ๏ธ "๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐ฝ๐๐ ." ๐ค#RoyalsFamily | #TATAIPLAuction | @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/y8FbnmjWjy
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) February 12, 2022
Kolkata Knight Riders bagged Pat Cummins and Shreyas Iyer for Rs 7.25 crore and Rs 12.25 crore respectively, both captaincy candidates. KKR managing director and CEO Venky Mysore, however, remained coy on the captaincy issue, saying that a decision would be taken later, in consultation with the team management.
R Ashwin mankading Jos Buttler in IPL 2019. (File Photo/BCCI)
Ravichandran Ashwin going to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 5 crore and becoming Jos Buttlerโs team-mate was interesting. Back in 2019, while playing for Kings XI Punjab, Ashwin had controversially โBrownedโ (as Sunil Gavaskar calls Mankading) Buttler, with former England captain Michael Vaughan saying: โWell, the fair play award isnโt going to Mohali this yearโโฆ Ashwin, though, defended his decision.
