The mega auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to take place on February 12 and 13 and the excitement surrounding the event is at its zenith. A number of players have thrown their hats in the ring with 48 of them registering at a base price of INR 2 crores.
While there are a number big names, a few newbies will also go under the hammer in the IPL mega auction. In the 2021 edition, a number of lesser-known cricketers, including Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith went for the big bucks. It won’t be a surprise if some unknown faces trigger bidding wars in the IPL.
Here’s the list of new players who can fetch above 10 crores in the IPL auction
1. Odean Smith
Odean Smith came to the fore after his resounding shows for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL. After delivering with both bat and ball, he found his way into the West Indies team for their T20I and ODI series against Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam.
The most stunning aspect of Smith’s numbers for the Caribbean team is that he has a strike rate of 227.02 and 163.33 in ODIs and T20Is respectively. Moreover, the 25-year-old can bowl at decent speeds and has the potential to surprise batters with his bouncers.
2. Devon Conway
Devon Conway has been in jaw-dropping form ever since he broke into the New Zealand team back in November 2020. In 115 T20 matches, the southpaw has notched 3765 runs at an average of 43.77, giving an account of the consistency he can show with the bat in hand.
In 20 T20Is for the Black Caps, Conway has scored 602 runs at an average of 50.16 and a strike rate of 139.35. The left-hander has already scored four half-centuries with a top-score of an unbeaten 99. Back in July, Conway also played for the Southern Brave in the Men’s Hundred.
3. Rassie van der Dussen
South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen is another batter, who shows a lot of consistency and is a more than dependable batter in the T20 format. Having played 34 T20Is for the Proteas, the 32-year-old has scored 933 runs at an average of 38.87 with six half-centuries to his name.
He also has three tons to his name from 140 T20 matches since his debut in 2013. He can be the bedrock of any team’s middle order due to his versatile batting. Van der Dussen has prior experience of playing in franchise T20 leagues, having played for Islamabad United and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
4. Saqib Mahmood
24-year-old Saqib Mahmood had some outings to remember in the second half of 2021. The right-arm pacer made his debut in 2019, but strained to find his feet. But in the last few months, not only has he regularly played for England, but has been a hot prospect in global T20 leagues.
He was one of the star performers for the Sydney Thunder in the 2021-22 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. In only six matches, Mahmood picked up 13 wickets and most importantly, he didn’t go wickeless in any of the games.
5. Hayden Kerr
Hayden Kerr was a revelation for the Sydney Sixers in the 2021-22 edition of the BBL. The left-arm pacer finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, where the Sixers ended as the runners-up after losing to Ashton Turner’s Perth Scorchers.
Kerr picked up 25 wickets from 17 games including a four-wicket haul against the Scorchers at the Carrara Oval. Kerr also showed his class with the bat after he opened the batting for the Sixers against Adelaide Strikers. He blazed away to an unbeaten 58-ball 98 and guided his team to a four-wicket win.
