Auction-packed day

 Dashing wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan and captaincy candidate Shreyas Iyer could attract huge bids at the 10-team Indian Premier League 2022 mega auction, which will begin on Saturday here.

Having been released by Chennai Super Kings, Shardul Thakur, too, could fetch a big sum on the opening day of the two-day auction. As many as 600 cricketers will be up for grabs, with 161 going under the hammer on the first day.

Among foreigners, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada – all of whom are a part of the ‘Marquee’ set – could start a bidding war between the franchises. Besides the quartet, six players, including the India trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan and Mohammed Shami, have been placed in the ‘Marquee’ category.

Shreyas, who led Delhi Capitals to its first-ever IPL final in 2020, is expected to be a hot property as a number of franchises do not have a captain. Capable of slotting in anywhere between No.1 and 4, Kishan is likely to fetch Rs 10+ crore.

Shardul would be on top of the franchises’ list since there aren’t enough India all-rounders of high quality. Experienced off-spinner Ashwin and opening batter Dhawan would also be on the radar of most teams.

Proven performers such as Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar and IPL 2021 ‘Purple Cap’ winner Harshal Patel could fetch huge bids while Bhuvneshwar Kumar may not earn as much as he did in the previous years. Having made his ODI debut recently, all-rounder Deepak Hooda will be another one to watch out for.

Devdutt Padikkal, Shahrukh Khan, Nitish Rana and Washington Sundar would be sought after and may end up earning more than international veterans. Although not in the marquee list, West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder is likely to start a bidding battle.

Each franchise will have to pick a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 in its squad. With the maximum purse limit set at Rs 90 crore, every team will have to spend at least Rs 67.5 crore overall (including the money paid for those retained or picked at the draft).