IPL 2022 Auction Explained: Decoding The Whys And Why Nots Of Day 1

As many as 97 players went under the hammer on the first day of the IPL 2022 auction on Saturday. Ishan Kishan (Rs 15.25 crore) and Deepak Chahar (Rs 14 crore) were the biggest buys of the day after being picked up my Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, respectively. Avesh Khan, on the other hand, became the most expensive uncapped player in the history of the IPL when Lucknow Super Giants acquired his services for Rs 10 crore. The 10 IPL franchises have so far spent above Rs 388 crore collectively to buy 74 players out of which 20 are overseas recruits. There were 20 players who got more than USD 1 million (Rs 7.53 crore as per Saturday's exchange rates).

The PTI tries to answer some common queries about the IPL bids that fans have and why some of the insane bidding happened while some went unsold.

Why did Ishan Kishan go for Rs 15.25 crore?

A current India player and also a wicket-keeper. Can win matches singlehandedly and, at 24, has age on his side. A part of MI's batting core. With 48 crore available, they could have gone for only one big India player. With matches at Wankhede and short boundaries, Kishan is the man to watch out for.

Why did CSK pay Rs 14 crore for Deepak Chahar?

CSK had to go the distance for one among Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur, both blessed with multiple skill-sets. Chahar with his impeccable powerplay wicket-taking ability and being a part of CSK's set template of experienced players was a no-brainer. Once they took Chahar, they couldn't have possibly gone for Shardul. However, CSK still look short on express pace department but MS Dhoni will manage it.

Why did Nicholas Pooran and Jonny Bairstow get big deals and Matthew Wade went unsold?

Most among the 10 teams needed wicket-keepers.