The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction is all set to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bangalore. The tournament is into its 15th season and the excitement surrounding it is at its zenith. As many as 10 teams will be plying their trade in the cash-rich tournament.
Quite a few players have thrown their hats in the ring for the mega event. Out of them, seven are from Associate nations. Although they aren’t overly big names, they have the potential to give the best teams a run for their money.
Here are four associate cricketers who could go big in the IPL 2022 mega auction
1. David Wiese
David Wiese, the former South Africa cricketer, currently plays for Namibia in international cricket and he hasn’t run out of gas by any means. Gerhard Erasmus’ team put in a spirited showing in the T20 World Cup 2021 and Wiese performed with both bat and ball. They even defeated Scotland in a Super 12 match during the tournament.
Wiese has a fair amount of experience while playing in the IPL. Back in 2015, Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) roped him in. In two seasons, the now 36-year-old Wiese played 15 games and scored 127 runs at an average of 31.75 with a top score of 47. The pace bowler also picked up 16 wickets to his name.
2. Sandeep Lamichhane
Sandeep Lamichhane made a name for himself in top-level cricket while being a teenager. He is already one of the most sought-after players in various franchises leagues around the world. The young Nepal prodigy has already plied his trade for Barbados Tridents and Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.
Lamichhane has also honed his skills for the Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. In the IPL, Sandeep has played two seasons for the Delhi Capitals (DC), but didn’t get a whole lot of chances. In nine games, the 21-year-old picked up nine wickets at an economy rate of 8.34 with best figures of 3/36.
3. Ali Khan
Ali Khan grabbed the limelight in the 2018 CPL after the Trinbago Knight Riders, led by Dwayne Bravo, won the title. He cranked up serious pace and soon bowled some match-winning spells for the USA National team. Khan also featured in quite a few franchise leagues around the world and gave an account of his skills.
Back in the 2020, Khan forayed into the IPL, but due to certain reasons, he couldn’t take part in the tournament. The Islamabad-born Khan can bowl with the new ball and can also churn out lethal yorkers at will. The franchises can look to add him in their repertoire for the upcoming season.
4. Ruben Trumpelmann
Rubel Trumpelmann is someone, who can make the new ball talk. His attributes were on show during the 2021 T20 World Cup in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In the tournament, the Durban-born speedster picked up six wickets from eight games and was fairly decent with the ball in hand.
He also picked up a three-wicket haul against Scotland and broke the backbone of the opposition top order. Trumpelmann is in excellent form as he recently picked up a five-wicket haul against Zeeshan Maqsood’s Oman on November 27, although in the 50-over format.
