IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Young India stars strike gold on Day 1 as 74 players sold for Rs 388.10 crore

IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Home-grown talents dominated the opening day of the auction in Bengaluru as teams bought 74 players, spending Rs 388.10 crore in total. Ishan Kishan, Deepak Chahar and Shreyas Iyer stirred up bidding wars in Bengaluru.

It was a big payday for Indian players on Day 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction as 10 teams bought a total of 74 players, spending Rs 388.10 crore in total in Bengaluru. The IPL has come a full circle as teams had spent big on overseas stars in the first few seasons but on Saturday, home-grown talents were in demand as teams reserved their highest bids for them.

Ishan Kishan, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper from Jharkhand, dominated the bidding war as he was sold to Mumbai Indians for a whopping price of Rs 15.25 crore. He was the most expensive buy on Day 1 of the mega auction and the 2nd most expensive Indian player ever bought in an IPL auction.

It is important to note that celebrated commentator Charu Sharma did a fine job after taking over as the auctioneer midway during Saturday's auction. British auctioneer Hugh Edmeades, who began the auction, collapsed midway and was given medical care. While Edmeades was stable, the BCCI roped in Sharma who got a big round of applause at the end of the day.

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Meanwhile, there was big demand for fast bowlers, both overseas and Indians, as teams are looking to emulate the success formula of the Delhi Capitals from the previous seasons. Deepak Chahar, who was sold to Chennai Super Kings at Rs 14 crore, was the most expensive pacer on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 auction while Avesh Khan became the most expensive uncapped player in the history of the auction. The former Delhi Capitals pacer was sold to Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 10 crore.

All current India internationals triggered bidding wars with Shreyas Iyer getting a staggering Rs 12.25 crore deal from Kolkata Knight Riders and the multi-skilled Shardul Thakur making Delhi Capitals break the bank with a Rs 10.75 crore. These two, along with Kishan and Chahar, were the top four buys of the day.