T20 may be a format known for sixes and fours, but it’s the bowlers that win you the matches. Wickets at regular intervals is the most trusted strategy in T20 cricket to curtail the flow of runs and win matches, and to do that you need top-quality bowlers.
The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction ahead of the 2022 season will see a number of top bowlers go under the hammer. We take a look at the top five Indian bowlers who could spark a bidding war in the IPL 2022 mega auction:
Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel is the only bowler in IPL history to take five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians. Image: Sportzpics for IPL
Harshal Patel made his IPL debut in 2012 but it was only last season that everyone started talking about him. And what a season he had. He picked 32 wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore to win the Purple Cap and put his name alongside Dwayne Bravo as the highest wicket-taker in a single season of the cash-rich league.
Harshal became a part of the RCB side in 2021 after he was traded off by Delhi Capitals and went on to impress one and all with his variation of yorkers, slower balls and cutters. His outstanding IPL performance also helped him make his India debut against New Zealand in a T20I in November last year.
The pacer’s ability to pick crucial wickets and keep batters guessing, a must-have skill for the T20 format, should guarantee a mega deal for him in the auction.
Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar has a base price of Rs 2 crore but he is expected to go for a lot more. Image: Sportzpics
Deepak Chahar has been influential in Chennai Super Kings winning two titles in the last four years. The pacer has scalped 58 wickets for the team in the last four seasons at an economy rate of 7.7. His ability to take wickets in the powerplay consistently makes him an invaluable asset in the shortest format of the game.
His recent lower-order batting contributions for India against Sri Lanka and South Africa have only raised his value.
He was bought for Rs 80 lakh by CSK in the 2018 auction, and while the Chennai team will once again try to acquire the pacer in the auction, he is destined to earn more than his base price of Rs 2 crore.
Mohammed Shami
Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami struggled for a while to adjust to the demands of T20 cricket, but the last three seasons have been highly productive for the former Punjab Kings fast bowler.
Shami was acquired by PBKS in the 2019 auction for Rs 4.8 crore and the fast bowler clinched 58 wickets for the franchise in 42 matches. The addition of a deadly yorker to his armoury and the ability to bowl dot balls in heap has enhanced his reputation which should lead to a bidding war for his services in the mega auction.
Yuzvendra Chahal
With 139 wickets from 114 matches, Yuzvendra Chahal has been one of the standout bowlers in IPL over the years. The leg-spinner’s attacking mindset sets him apart from other spinners and makes him a valuable asset to have in a team’s bowling lineup.
In the last three seasons, he took 57 wickets for RCB and his knack for picking wickets will keep him in demand in the upcoming auction. Chahal was bought for Rs 6 crore in the 2018 auction by RCB by the use of the Right to Match card.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is seen as leader and could be on the radar of multiple teams. Image: Sportzpics
Another spinner who could earn big bucks at the auction is senior pro Ravichandran Ashwin. The spinner from Tamil Nadu has 145 IPL wickets to his name at an impressive economy rate of 6.91.
Ashwin has only accounted for 20 wickets in the last two seasons in IPL since joining DC from PBKS in a trade, but his return to the Indian ODI and T20I sides in recent time is a testimony to how much he has improved as a bowler in white-ball cricket. He also captained Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for two seasons and his proven leadership quality is something that a lot of franchises will be looking for.