A lot of factors have been considered while picking up players in the mega auction and it is not easy to get a bid despite the expansion into ten teams this time. The domestic performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy have all been looked upon and there isn’t any room for emotions in the mega auction.
The recent form and game time is also considered as the analysts, for each franchise will make sure the hard yards have been done in the backend and they have a big role to play during the mega auction. However, the long tournament this year from March 26 to May 29 might just bring the unsold players back into the equation taking injuries and the bio bubble fatigue into consideration.
5 Unsold Indian players who can come in as replacements in IPL 2022 later
1. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was surprisingly unsold in the IPL 2022 mega auction despite having a staggering record in the cash-rich tournament. Popularly called the Mr. IPL for his consistent performances over the years for the Chennai Super Kings, Raina is among the all-time greats of the tournament and should come in as a replacement in IPL 2022 later.
Raina missed the IPL 2020 edition due to personal reasons and when he returned to the tournament in 2021, he wasn’t as effective as he used to be in the past. With 160 runs in 12 games in IPL 2021, Raina was nowhere near his best in the previous edition and wasn’t picked for the final few games due to his injury concerns.
However, the 35-year-old has scored 5528 runs in 205 IPL games, and his IPL experience will be immaculate to any franchise. He is one of the best fielders India has ever produced and is very quick in the inner field, although he has lacked fitness off late. The left-hander will be a huge asset to any franchise still if he can get some game time which will be crucial to his return.
2. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma has been a great servant for India in Tests having played more than 100 Tests, and it was a big surprise that he went unsold in the IPL 2022 mega auction. The right-arm seamer has been dropped from the Indian Test squad recently with the young pacers stepping in and he will have to be back at his best to ensure he is picked up again in the squad.
Ishant has been around the IPL for a long time since the inaugural edition and has played for various franchises as well. He has come in as a replacement bowler in the past but has lost a bit of pace that did threaten batters a little bit earlier in his career. The tall lanky pacer regrouped his limited-overs bowling in 2019 since being picked up by Delhi Capitals and has been bowling really well with the new ball in the format.
His overall IPL numbers haven’t been that impressive, however, Ishant has been quite impressive in the last three seasons of IPL and has managed to hit the right lengths. He hasn’t been taking up the responsibility of bowling the death overs, which proved to be very costly for him at the start of his IPL career and franchises might consider him as a replacement.
3. Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra is one of the best leg spinners in IPL history with some stunning numbers to his name and he deserved a bid in the IPL 2022 mega auction. The 39-year-old hasn’t announced his retirement from international cricket despite making his debut in 2003 and remained in the shadow of the legendary Anil Kumble for a long time.
However, Mishra has been a huge success in IPL with 166 wickets in 154 IPL games at an average of 23.9 and has taken three hattricks as well. Mishra is a handy batter down the order as well and he will be in the eyes of a lot of franchises given his experience in the tournament.
Mishra played just the four games in the previous edition for Delhi Capitals and he did impress with six wickets which included a four-wicket haul as well. He has the ability to change games around quickly and recently the Delhi franchise owner, acknowledged him for his services over the years.