IPL 2022 Auction: Five uncapped Indian wicketkeepers who may attract bids from franchises

Bengaluru, February 6: The IPL released a list of 590 players for the upcoming mega auction, which is scheduled to take place on February 12 and February 13 in Bengaluru.

Among the 590 players going under the hammer during the two-day IPL 2022 mega auction, 58 are wicketkeepers - 21 capped and 37 uncapped players.

Like batters, wicketkeepers and all-rounders, wicketkeepers also play a crucial role in a team, but most teams sometimes opt for a batter, who can keep stumps as opposed to a specialist especially in T20 format.

However, if the wicketkeeper itself has the ability to contribute to the scoring in quick pace, teams will try hard to get their player. Apart from four teams, the other six franchises will need a wicketkeeper for their team.

Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals have the slot covered with some brilliant option as they have retained Mahendra Singh Dhoni, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson or Jos Buttler and Rishabh Pant respectively.

So, that leaves Royal Challengers Bangalore, Team Ahmedabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings who will need to fill that slot. CSK, LSG and DC also will look to add cover.

Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock, Glenn Phillips, Dinesh Karthik and Ishan Kishan are among the capped players that are expected to go for top dollar. But there are a few uncapped players who can also attract huge bids.

Here we take a look at five options for franchises from the total of 34 uncapped Indian wicketkeepers:

KS Bharat – Base Price INR 20 Lakh

The Andhra stumper KS Bharat is one uncapped wicketkeeper who may hit the jackpot following his performance in IPL 2021 with Royal Challengers Bangalore, including a last-ball six to complete a successful run chase. Bharat also heads into the auction at a base price of INR 20 Lakh and a decent domestic season.

Vishnu Vinod – Base Price INR 20 Lakh (Image Courtesy: BCCI Twitter)

The Kerala wicketkeeper Vishnu Vinod has performed whenever he has got the opportunity in the domestic circuit.

He has often had to fight for a place in the state team as he needs to compete with someone like Sanju Samson and Mohammed Azharuddeen, who also was part of the RCB squad last season following his domestic form last season.

However, Vinod has had a better season compared to Azharuddeen in the 2021-22 season. He has previously been part of the RCB and DC.

Anuj Rawat – Base Price INR 20 Lakh (Image Courtesy: RR Twitter)

The southpaw from Delhi, Anuj Rawat has been part of IPL before, representing Rajasthan Royals, but rarely got the opportunity. However, after a decent domestic season with the Delhi team, Rawat can land himself another contract with an IPL franchise.

Prabhsimran Singh – Base Price INR 20 Lakh

The Punjab wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh has been part of the Punjab Kings team for the last few seasons. Like in 2019, he is expected to attract bids after a good season with Punjab. But may not end up as the second most expensive buy like 2019. However, with six teams needing to address the wicketkeeper slot, the youngster will land another IPL deal.

Upendra Singh Yadav – Base Price INR 20 Lakh

The Railways wicketkeeper Upendra Singh Yadav may not be the very aggressive fit made for the IPL, but the 25-year-old is very close to getting an India call up and that may prompt franchises to land him for a negligible fee. Apart from these five, the likes Azharuddeen, Shreevats Goswami, Harvik Desai and some overseas uncapped options also will be an option for franchises to add as cover for their teams.

Story first published: Sunday, February 6, 2022, 18:16 [IST]

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