IPL 2022: Ahmedabad Franchise Confirms Its Draft Picks For The Tournament

The Ahmedabad franchise has picked all-rounder Hardik Pandya (INR 15 crore), Afghanistan’s sensational spinner Rashid Khan (15 crore) and opening batter Shubman Gill (8 crore) as their three signings for IPL 2022.

After spending seven seasons with Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya is set to join a new team in the Indian Premier League.

The Indian all-rounder scored 1476 runs from 85 innings and claimed 42 scalps and also won four titles in his long stint with the five-time IPL champions.

IPL 2022: Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill to play for Ahmedabad franchise

Rashid spent five seasons with Sunrisers Hyderabad before he was released by the franchise as the two could not come to terms with a suitable deal. The Afghanistan leg-spinner snapped 93 wickets from 76 games for the Orange Army, to end their second-highest wicket-taker after Bhuvneshwar Kumar (118).

Gill broke into the KKR team in IPL 2018 after his impressive run in the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup. In his second season, Gill was promoted to open the batting order and he accumulated 1417 runs from 55 innings at the strike rate of 123.

IPL 2022: Ashish Nehra appointed head coach of Ahmedabad franchise

Former England player Vikram Solanki, who recently quit Surrey’s head coach role, has been appointed as Ahmedabad team’s Director of Cricket.

2011 World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten (with the Indian team) will be serving dual roles of mentor and batting coach of the Ahmedabad outfit while former Indian pace bowler Ashish Nehra will be the head coach.

Hardik Pandya will be leading the Ahmedabad team in their maiden season as the franchise wanted to synchronise itself with the identity of a local Gujarati player. The 28-year-old was born in Choryasi, a place in the Surat district of Indian state Gujarat.

On January 11, the IPL Governing Council issued the Letter of Intent (LOI) to both the new IPL franchises (Lucknow and Ahmedabad), formalising their entry into the cash-rich league.

The IPL 2022 mega auction will be conducted on February 12 and February 13 in Bengaluru.

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