IPL Auction 2022: 3 pace bowlers new franchisees can aim for

IPL auction is about to come in January. Many are eagerly waiting to see which players the team will retain and which players the team will let go of. Unlike 2021, this auction will be a mega one. Lots of overhauls are expected to happen which means many players will have to go through the auction process. 

The IPL organizers will allow the teams to retain some of their players. The eight existing teams will have the liberty to retain the 4 players: two Indians and 2  overseas players. The window for the players to retain their players will end on Tuesday, November 30. 

From December 1 to December 25, the two franchises – Ahmedabad and Lucknow franchise will have chances to pick three players each. The new franchise will pick two Indians and overseas players. 

IPL 2022 Auction: will New Franchises target these players? 

So far, the retention list of the players has not been made public. However, media details of the players have revealed which of the players will be retained by their franchises. However there are many names who are unlikely to be retained, they might be targeted by the new franchises. In this article, we will look at the players who might be the target of these new franchises. 

1. Lockie Ferguson 

Lokie Ferguson has been in and out of the game due to persistent injuries. However, Whenever he was on the team, he made sure that he makes a huge impact in the game he played. Talking about his IPL Journey, He was associated with  KKR for eight matches in the IPL, but he made sure that attention on him is unescaped. He ended his journey of IPL with 13 wickets at the strike rate of 13.84. However, he had a terrible final match where he conceded 56 runs in just four overs. Even in the T20 World Cup, he had to be replaced by Adam Milne due to further injury woes.

Lockie Ferguson was someone who pulled the attention to him but they were not enough to be retained by the KKR. According to reports, Venkatesh Iyer, mystery spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, and one between Shubman Gill and Andre Russell are likely to be retained by the Kolkata franchise.

However, his fitness might be of concern but given the things that he brings to the table, he might be considered by the new franchises. 

2. Harshal Patel 

Since Harshal Patel made its debut, he has been part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Over the period of time his association with the RCB in the 15 matches, He has taken 32 wickets at the strike rate of 10.56 and an average of 14.34. He is mostly known for his variations and slower balls in the death overs. 

He scripted history by taking five wickets hauls against the Mumbai Indians. He also made a hat-trick against the Mumbai Indians in the second lap of IPL. Had luck favored him, He would have surpassed Bravo to become the first bowler to take the maximum wickets in the single-season of IPL.

However, it does not mean that he had his only good days in the IPL. He was beaten badly too by the Ravindra Jadeja when he hit the five sixes in a match against the Chennai Super Kings. However, He did not buckle under pressure, He maintained a great amount the composure, ended up making a huge impact. 

Following his great performance, he was picked up by India for the T20 series against New Zealand. He has been announced the player of the match. However, despite being a good performer, RCB is unlikely to retain him back in the team. 

Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Devdutt Padikkal are the names doing the rounds as far as RCB’s retention list is concerned. Ahmedabad and Lucknow won’t be complaining though.

3. Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood is a good player but when it comes to the shortest format, He is not much trusted on that front. The number of matches he played is testimony to the fact that he made his debut back in 2009. He has only played a total of 64 matches. However, he played even fewer matches for Australia. They come down to only 24 games with only 32 wickets at the strike rate of 17. However he did not stay with his low performance, He managed to work upon his skills and has improved a lot in the last year. 

In the victory of the Chennai Super Kings last season, Josh Hazlewood was highly instrumental. In the nine matches that he played, he took 11 wickets at the strike rate of 19.09. He gave some crucial wickets to the team. He was a bowling hero for the CSK against the KKR where he has the target of 2 for 29. 

The pace bowler carried on the momentum while turning out for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2021. Hazlewood was among the wickets throughout but reserved his best for the final, sinking the Kiwis with figures of 3 for 16. Despite his exploits, CSK are unlikely to retain Hazlewood for IPL 2022. The four slots are likely to go to MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Moeen Ali/ Sam Curran.