IPL 2022 Auction: Rating The 5 Best Buys Of The Capped Indian Pacers 

The IPL 2022 Mega Auctions took place on 12^th and 13^th February 2022 in Bangalore. A total of INR 551.7 crores was shelled out as the ten franchises battled in out to acquire the services of the top-notch talents across the world. The auction saw Indian bowlers in high demand.

The franchises were keen to acquire as many Indian pacers as possible. They broke the bank and went all out for both capped and uncapped Indian bowlers. Deepak Chahar was the second most expensive buy at the auctions as CSK bought him for a whopping sum of 14 crores. Besides, several other Indian bowlers also fetched billion-dollar contracts. In this article, we rate the 5 best capped Indian pacers at the IPL 2022 Mega Auctions:

IPL 2022 Auction: Rating The 5 Best Buys Of The Capped Indian Pacers

1. Deepak Chahar (9.5/10)

Deepak Chahar, over the years, has played an instrumental role in CSK’s success in IPL. He wasn’t retained by the franchise but went all out at the auctions to buy him back in the team. Chennai Super Kings ended up paying a massive amount of INR 14 crores to acquire his services. In the last couple of years, Deepak Chahar has made a vast improvement in his batting.

Turning up for India, Chahar played crucial knocks with the bat on several occasions in the last couple of years. His all-round potential makes him a valuable asset in the shortest format of the game. Deepak Chahar will, once again, be seen opening the bowling for CSK in the IPL 2022.

2. Mohammed Shami (9/10)

   

Mohammed Shami played for Punjab Kings in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. However, the franchise opted not to retain him for the next edition of the tournament. Shami is the senior-most pacer in the Indian team right now and, perhaps, Punjab Kings didn’t do the right thing by letting him go.

However, Gujarat Kings did the right thing by buying his services for an amount of INR 6.25 crores. Considering the amount that franchises spent in buying the pacers at the auctions, getting Shami for less than 7 crores was a bargain for the Titans. He has the ability to bowl both in the powerplay as well as at the death and is likely to make a significant impact with the ball.

3. Prasidh Krishna (9/10)

After witnessing his outstanding performance in the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies, Prasidh Krishna was expected to attract high bids at the auctions. He was eventually picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a sum of INR 10 crores. Krishna has the ability to bowl at over 140 clicks consistently and is a hit the deck bowler.

The Indian pacer is likely to play all the games this year and will be interesting to see how fares with the ball. The Indian pacer will share the fast bowling duties with Trent Boult this year.

4. Chetan Sakariya (8.5/10)

Chetan Sakariya impressed one and all with his bowling exploits in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. He managed to pick 14 wickets in as many games and with an economy of just over 8. Chetan Sakariya has the ability to swing the ball both ways and also brings variety to the attack with his left-arm pace bowling.

He is a useful asset in T20 internationals and the Delhi Capitals have done exceedingly well to buy him at just 4.2 crores. Turning up for a new franchise, it will be interesting to see if he could replicate similar performances this year.

5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8/10)

There is no denying the fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn’t the bowler that he used to be. He doesn’t swing the ball a lot and has also lost pace as well due to persistent injuries. He endured a forgettable outing with the ball last year in IPL and also fared badly in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and in the T20 series in New Zealand.

Despite that, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have continued to put faith in his abilities. Though, they didn’t have to spend a lot of money, which is a good thing. SRH bought his services for 4.20 crores for the upcoming edition of the tournament.