IPL Auction 2022: Surprise Big Money Picks

IPL auction 2022 took place on Saturday and Sunday in Bengaluru with a total of 204 cricketers being sold from the final list of 600. While some had to return home empty handed, a few lucky ones ended up becoming overnight millionaires. Some of the biggest names in world cricket were up for grabs in the IPL auction 2022 but there were also players only a few had known about. As the teams splurged over 550 crore on a total of 204 players, there were some cricketers for whom Christmas came early.

Nicholas Pooran: (base price of Rs 1.50 crore) - Bought by SunRisers Hyderabad for Rs 10.75 crore

There is no questioning the talent Nicholas Pooran has in his locker but he has failed to kick on from the promise he had shown in his early years. The SunRisers Hyderabad splashed the cash on the West Indian left-hander but they might have missed his performances for Punjab Kings last season.

Pooran was in atrocious form in IPL 2021. He played 11 innings for PBKS, scoring a meagre 85 runs at a woeful average of 7.72. His recent showing for the West Indies have also been under par. SRH will be praying that's not the case this season.

Wanindu Hasaranga (base price of Rs 1 crore) - Bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 10.75 crore

While the Sri Lankan cricketer sits atop ICC's T20I bowling rankings, his performances last season were nothing short of disappointing. The likes of Tabraiz Shamsi, Adil Rashid and Shakib Al Hasan are also placed high on ICC rankings yet received no takers, but RCB decided to spend big on a player who didn't really impress in IPL 2021.

The Sri Lankan played two matches last season, bowling a total of six overs. He went wicketless and on top of that was smashed for 60 runs to end up with an economy rate