5 Teams Which Can Target Wanindu Hasaranga In IPL 2022 Mega Auction

Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been the talk of the town for his heroics in the recently-concluded series against team India. The spin wizard picked 10 wickets in the 5 limited-overs matches including a four-wicket haul in the final T20I of the series that he played for the Lankans and turned heads with his knack of picking wickets in regular intervals.

Wanindu Hasaranga achieved another milestone during the limited-overs series as he was ranked the number 2 bowler in the ICC T20 Rankings released by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday. Despite such impeccable performances throughout the series, it is a pity that Wanindu Hasaranga isn’t a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the grandest franchise T20 cricket tournament in the world.

However, his performances have ensured that there will be a lot of interest by multiple franchises for the Sri Lankan all-rounder as they grab their seats in the IPL 2022 mega auction. Considering that a lot of teams will change their playing combinations for IPL 2022, we take a look at the five teams which can target Wanindu Hasaranga in IPL 2022 auction.

5 Teams Which Can Target Wanindu Hasaranga In The IPL 2022 Mega Auction

5. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

The two-time IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, have had a couple of forgetful seasons in the Indian Premier League despite being one of the strongest teams of the competition. One of the major reasons behind their downfall in the last couple of seasons has been the performance of their overseas all-rounder duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.

Considering the fact that a team can only retain a total of 4 players in the IPL 2022 mega auction with either a combination of 3 Indian players and 1 overseas player or 2 Indian players and 2 overseas players, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell might be the obvious choices for the franchise.

This will also lead them to a weakened spin-bowling all-rounder and thus, Wanindu Hasaranga can perfectly fit in the spot in KKR. Also, IPL 2022 might take place in India in all likelihood and hence, the wicket at Eden Gardens might support Hasaranga, and hence, KKR might go for him in the IPL 2022 mega auction.

4. Delhi Capitals (DC)

Another team that will like to go on the hunt for Wanindu Hasaranga in the IPL 2022 mega auction might be Delhi Capitals. The Delhi-based franchise has seen a turnaround in its fortune, especially in the last 3 years in the Indian Premier League. Ricky Ponting has taken charge as the Head Coach of the side and Shreyas Iyer has proved his mantle as the skipper of the side.

The efforts put in by the franchise have bore fruits for them in the last couple of years as they managed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2019 and were the runner-ups of the tournament in IPL 2020. When IPL 2021 came to a standstill, Delhi Capitals were leading the IPL 2021 points table with 6 wins and 2 losses in the season so far.

As far as the IPL 2022 mega auction is concerned, Delhi Capitals might retain Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, and Kagiso Rabada as their 4 players. This will indeed open up an opportunity for an overseas spin-bowling all-rounder and Wanindu Hasaranga can fill in the spot on the rank-turner wicket of the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

3. Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Even a change in the name of the franchise couldn’t bring a change in the fortune for Punjab Kings as they took to the field in the Indian Premier League this season. Despite having the biggest auction purse going into IPL 2021 auction, Punjab Kings failed to capitalize on value for money players which led them to another forgetful season.

Punjab Kings were on the 6th spot in the IPL 2021 points table when the tournament came to a stagnancy midway through the competition. Going into the IPL 2022 mega auction, KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami look to be the only players that will be retained by the franchise for the coming edition.

In such a scenario, Wanindu Hasaranga can fill in the boots and help Punjab with their lower-middle order batting struggles as well.

2. SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The champions of the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League, SunRisers Hyderabad, have been one of the most decorated sides in the competition, especially when it comes to having overseas players in their squad. Despite being one of the frontrunners of the IPL title every year, SRH have failed to capitalize on the opportunities and the first half of IPL 2021 was none short of a disaster for the side.

David Warner, the captain who led them to the 2016 triumph, was stripped of the captaincy midway through the season and Kane Williamson was named as the captain of the side. The peril of this side was portrayed on the points table as they were lurking on the last spot when IPL 2021 came to hold with just 1 win in the 7 matches that they played in the first half of the tournament.

Considering that Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan will be the obvious-choice retentions by the franchise going into the IPL 2022 mega auction, Wanindu Hasaranga can address the elephant in the room for the Hyderabad based-franchise who will play half of their group matches at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad in IPL 2022 provided the tournament takes place in India.

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

The three-time champions of the most glamorous T20 league in the cricketing world, Chennai Super Kings, have been the most successful team of the tournament when it comes to winning the number of matches in the tournament.

However, the 2020 edition of the tournament was a rather forgetful event for the side as they achieved an unwanted record of not qualifying for the playoffs of the tournament for the first time while participating in the tournament. Chennai Super Kings, however, bounced back in the 2021 edition as they were cruising to a playoff spot when the tournament came to a standstill with 5 wins and 2 losses in 7 games.

Taking into account the mega auction that is supposed to take place for IPL 2022, Chennai Super Kings might go on to retain Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, and Deepak Chahar and this will indeed open up the possibilities of bringing in a spin-bowling all-rounder.

The wicket at Chepauk Stadium offers one of the finest spin conditions across the country and hence, Wanindu Hasaranga might be the perfect man for the job for the Chennai-based franchise in the 2022 edition.