IPL 2022 Auction: Teams who will bid for three-time Orange Cap winner David Warner

Australia opener David Warner is set to be in the auction for only the third time in IPL

Bengaluru, February 9: Australian explosive opening batter David Warner will be a sought after player in the upcoming IPL 2022 Mega Auction, which is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and February 13.

Following his release from the Sunrisers Hyderabad, reports circulated that Warner will be picked up by one of the two new franchises - Ahmedabad Titans or Lucknow Super Giants - during the draft, but the Aussie was not picked by either franchise, pushing him into the auctions.

The 35-year-old has registered himself with a base price of INR 2 Crore and is No. 10 in the marquee category, which will be the opening set of the IPL 2022 Auction.

The left-handed batter Warner is one of four opening batters options in the first set, that also includes India opener Shikhar Dhawan, South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock and former Protea batter Faf du Plessis.

Warner, who is known for his aggressive style of play, also has the ability to lead a team and he has shown that when he led the Sunrisers to their only IPL title in 2016. So, captaincy will be another area teams will be hoping to add and that puts Warner on top of many franchises wish-list.

The Aussie spent 8 years with the Orange Army since 2014, missing out only in the 2018 season following a ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal with Australia earlier that year. He returned for 2019 season as the captain of SRH.

However, things did not end well for Warner as he was stripped off his captaincy by the Hyderabad franchise mid-way through the 2020 season, and later pushed out of the playing 11 in 2021, when he announced that his time with the 2016 champions was over.

Despite his poor run in the IPL 2021, a month later Warner helped Australia win their first ever T20 World Cup, ending the tournament as the Player of the Series with 289 runs from 7 matches.

Before his stint with Sunrisers, Warner had spent five seasons with Delhi Daredevils, who signed him 2009 before the auction that season.

During his 13 seasons in IPL, the left-hander has played 150 matches, scoring 5449 runs, including 4 hundreds and 50 fifties at the strike rate of 139.96.

The highest overseas scorer, Warner has also won the Orange Cap three times in his time at the IPL in 2015, 2017 and 2019 season. He has also taken 68 catches in his IPL career so far.

While his time Sunrisers did not end well, Warner is expected to fetch huge bids during the upcoming auction, but it also will depend on when his name will be pulled out of the bag.

Ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction, myKhel takes at which team may bid for Warner and why they may go big for the Australian opener:

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

The RCB outfit have retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj heading into the auction. With Kohli stepping down as skipper of the franchise, Warner is one player RCB will be after along with Shreyas Iyer, who also has captaincy experience. The advantage of Warner is, he gives the left-handed opening option along with a leadership role.

RCB had Devdutt Padikkal on their books for the last two seasons, but the Karnataka opener was not retained and hence moved into the auction. As Padikkal will be only in the second set of the auction, RCB may fancy Warner in case they miss out on a Iyer or if the Aussie's name is pulled out before the Mumbai batter. RCB could also go for Quinton de Kock, who offers a wicketkeeping option or Shikhar Dhawan, who helps with number of Indian players.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

The four-time champions CSK have already retained an opener in Ruturaj Gaikwad and may look to reunite the openers from last season by bringing back Faf du Plessis, who is also part of the marquee category in the auction. But, if they fail to land Du Plessis and have a plan to go for left-hand and right-hand opening combo, CSK may look to bring in Warner.

However, CSK have also retained two left-handers in Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali. So, it will be interesting to see what strategies the defending champions will deploy at the auction. Shikhar Dhawan or R Ashwin will also be of interest to the MS Dhoni-led team.

Mumbai Indians (MI)

The record champions MI have retained an aggressive opener in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma. They actually had a tough time during retention process as they had to let go some top players. So, their first choice in the marquee list could be to bring back De Kock, who did a decent job as an opener and wicketkeeper for them in the last few seasons.

MI could also unite Indian opening pair by opting for Dhawan or could unite Indian pace bowling partners by pairing Mohammed Shami with Jasprit Bumrah. The five-time champions strategy may rule out them bidding for Warner. But Warner is too good a player to pass on.

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

PBKS has the highest probability of landing Warner has they have highest remaining purse of INR 72 Crore having retained only two players in Indian opener Mayank Agarwal and uncapped Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh. However, any bid for any player will depend when the player's name is pulled out of the bag.

But, an opening combo of Warner and Mayank if possible is a no-brainer to make. Even if PBKS opt to make Mayank the captain, Warner will be of help for any advice for the inexperienced skipper. Plus, with the exit of a top player like KL Rahul, Warner will be very handy for PBKS as he will fill a lot of voids left by the former skipper.

Other Teams

Sunrisers is very unlikely to bring back Warner. Rajasthan Royals also have the opening and captain slot filled and may have no place for the Aussie. Delhi Capitals too may have other players on their mind.

However, the likes of Ahmedabad Titans, Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders may pounce if they get the chance to land the aggressive left-handed opener. KKR also will be after a player to lead their team. So, Warner may end up at last year finalists as well.

Story first published: Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 12:30 [IST]

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