The Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction witnessed 10 franchises spending a total of INR 551.70 crore during two-action packed days at Hotel ITC Gardenia in Bangalore.

As many as 204 players comprising 137 Indian cricketers and 67 overseas stars bagged an Indian T20 League contract.

While capped players such as Ishan Kishan, Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer and Liam Livingstone pocketed hefty packages, it was some of the uncapped players who hogged the limelight as franchises spent a few times more than their base price to acquire their services. 

On that note, let’s look at the most expensive uncapped players from the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction:

Avesh Khan to Team Lucknow - INR 10 crore

Former Team Delhi fast bowler Avesh Khan became the most expensive uncapped player in Indian T20 League history after new franchise, Team Lucknow, acquired his services for INR 10 crore. 

The 25-year-old Madhya Pradesh cricketer broke the record of Karnataka cricketer Krishna Gowtham, who was picked by Chennai for INR 9.25 crore in 2018. Having kept his base price at INR 20 lakh, Avesh Khan bagged a contract 25 times more than his reserved price. 

Playing for Team Delhi, Avesh had finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in Indian T20 League last season after picking 24 wickets in 16 matches.

Shahrukh Khan to Team Punjab - INR 9 crore

Tamil Nadu cricketer Shahrukh Khan was picked by Team Punjab in the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction for a whopping INR 9 crore. After not being retained by the Priety Zinta-owned Punjab franchise before the auction, the owners showed faith in him by acquiring his services 22.5 times his base price of 40 lakh. 

In the Indian T20 League last season, Shahrukh had scored 153 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.9. Having played some blitzkrieg cameos last edition, he will look to prove his price tag in the upcoming season.

Rahul Tewatia to Team Gujarat - INR 9 crore

New Indian T20 League franchise Team Gujarat signed all-rounder Rahul Tewatia for a hefty sum of INR 9 crore. Having previously represented Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi in the Indian T20 League, the 28-year-old has accumulated 521 runs in 48 matches at an average of 23.68. He has also claimed 31 wickets at an average of 31.88. 

Tewatia has also been a star performer for Haryana in domestic cricket. The all-rounder received his maiden India call-up to the T20I squad against England in February 2021 but failed to get an opportunity in the starting XI.

Rahul Tripathi to Team Hyderabad - INR 8.5 crore

Former Kolkata batter Rahul Tripathi was picked by Team Hyderabad at a staggering price of INR 8.5 crore. The 30-year-old swashbuckling batter had impressed in the last edition of the Indian T20 League, amassing 397 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 140.28. 

Tripathi was involved in an intense bidding war between Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad before the latter acquired his services for a whopping amount. The Maharashtra cricketer is expected to add a lot of depth and versatility to the Hyderabad squad. 

Featured photo: MONEY SHARMA / AFP




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Indian T20 League