The second and final day of the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction witnessed all 10 teams working hard to assemble their best possible squad for the upcoming seasons of the high-profile tournament.

A total of 204 players, including 67 overseas cricketers, were sold during the action-packed two days of the auction. 

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone became the most expensive overseas player in the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction after Team Punjab bagged him for 11.5 crore.

On the other hand, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed became the most expensive India player on Day 2 after Delhi secured his services for a whopping 5.25 crore.

On that note, let’s look at some of the players who have attracted the highest bids on Day 2 of the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction.

Liam Livingstone to Team Punjab - INR 11.50 crore

England swashbuckling all-rounder Liam Livingstone became the highest-paid Englishman of the Indian T20 League 2022 auction after Punjab bought him for 11.5 crore. Punjab were involved in an intense bidding war with Chennai, Kolkata, Gujarat and Hyderabad to secure his services. Interestingly, Livingstone’s previous Indian T20 League deal was 75 lakh. Despite scoring a mere 42 runs in five innings for Team Rajasthan in the last edition of the Indian T20 League, Liam Livingstone became the fourth most expensive English player in the tournament’s history.

Tim David to Team Mumbai - INR 8.25 crore

Five-time champions Team Mumbai roped in Singaporean-Australian cricketer Tim David for INR 8.25 crore. The 25-year-old, who previously turned out once for Team Bangalore, entered the Indian T20 League 2022 auction at the base price of INR 40 lakh. Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab, Lucknow and Rajasthan were also interested in him as they entered the bidding war. Tim David has amassed 558 runs in 14 T20Is at a strike rate of 158.5 and an average of 46.5.

Jofra Archer to Team Mumbai - INR 8 crore

The Mumbai franchise surprised fans with a surprise purchase of England's star pacer Jofra Archer for INR 8 crore at the mega auction. Mumbai clearly wanted Archer's services as they were engaged in a fierce bidding war with Rajasthan and Hyderabad. Within a matter of minutes, Archer's value skyrocketed from his initial base price of INR 2 crore. Due to an elbow injury, the Englishman will not play in the upcoming edition of the Indian T20 League and is expected to return in 2023.

Romario Shepherd to Team Hyderabad - INR 7.75 crore

Team Hyderabad bagged West Indies death bowler Romario Shepherd for INR 7.75 crore. Having picked 20 T20I wickets and amassed 197 runs so far, Shepherd was chased by three other teams in the auction - Lucknow, Mumbai and Chennai. 

Shepherd has played 44 T20 matches, claiming 53 wickets at an average of 21.18. Interestingly, he was the second-highest wicket-taker in Caribbean Premier League 2021, picking 18 wickets in nine matches for Guyana Amazon Warriors.

Featured photo: XAVIER GALIANA / AFP