IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Uncapped Indian players who can start a bidding war

Much of the focus during the forthcoming IPL 2022 Mega Auction will be on Indian internationals and overseas stars up for grabs. But the uncapped Indian stars could prove to be the real darkhorse of the two-leg event to be held in Bangalore on February 12 and 13.

Indian cricket never being short of some fine young talent, the IPL 2022 Mega Auction could see this lot of players cracking a real jackpot through the bidding war.

With the tournament also expanding to ten teams, there will be more spots in the squad and playing XI for these youngsters to make their own.

Keeping this in mind, here is a refined list of best uncapped young cricketers who could generate real interest among the ten IPL franchises and trigger major bidding wars.

Also Read – IPL 2022 Mega Auction: 5 Overseas Players Who Can Start A Bidding War

Rahul Tripathi will be one of the uncapped Indian stars up for grabs at IPL 2022 Mega Auction.

7 uncapped Indian stars to watch out for at IPL 2022 Mega Auction

1. Shahrukh Khan

Released by Punjab Kings (PBKS) despite multiple promising knocks, Shahrukh Khan, the Tamil Nadu power-hitter, could fetch big money at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction in Bangalore. Since IPL 2021, Shahrukh has taken the Indian domestic cricket by storm, emerging as one of the better white-ball players in the country.

The explosive right-hand bat struck a pivotal 33* off 15 balls in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 final, including a last-ball six, to seal the victory for Tamil Nadu over Karnataka. He followed that up with magnificent performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, making 253 runs at an average of 42.16 with a strike-rate of 186.02.

2. Darshan Nalkande

Nalkande, the Vidarbha right-arm seamer, was also previously part of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) squad but never got to make his IPL debut. That could well happen at the IPL 2022 after the 23-year-old right-arm seamer emerged as one of the strongest performers of the white-ball leg of the Indian domestic season 2021-22.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Mega Auction: 5 Indian Players who can start a bidding war

Nalkande was terrific with the ball for Vidarbha, taking 13 wickets from his 8 outings of the SMAT 2021 with an economy rate of just 5.88. He followed those exploits with a decent run in the VJHT as well, picking up 8 wickets from his 6 games.

3. Avesh Khan

Losing the race for retention to Delhi Capitals’ (DC) other options, promising Indian speedster Avesh Khan is another player to watch out for at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. Khan had his fruitful IPL season with the ball last year. He took 24 wickets from his 16 innings with an economy of 7.37.

Avesh’s tall stature and ability to nail the hard lengths have always kept the national selectors interested in him. He has been on the fringes of the Indian side and came very close to making his T20I debut via the New Zealand series in November.

4. Kartik Tyagi

Tyagi, Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) young speedster, got released from their squad at the end of IPL 2021. But the pacer has displayed enough promise in his two-year stint with the side to potential be a big-prize signing at the upcoming auction.

Also Read: 5 Indian Players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could bid for in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction

The 20-year-old right-arm seamer is one of the brightest talents to have emerged out of the 2020 U-19 World Cup. In his limited opportunities for RR, Tyagi showcased all that he is about: the pace, the bounce, the movement and hostility. He has taken 13 wickets from his 14 outings of the IPL since 2020. His most exceptional performance being a thrilling final-over finish versus PBKS in IPL 2021, successfully defending 4 runs off the last six balls.

5. Tanmay Agarwal

Hyderabad captain Tanmay Agarwal could be among the uncapped Indian talent to fetch big money at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction in Bangalore. The 26-year-old left-hand opening batter is relatively experienced, with nearly 150 Indian domestic matches under his belt.

Unfortunately for Agarwal, he hasn’t yet featured in the IPL, although he has been part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad previously. Agarwal’s moment of reckoning could be here after he had a stand-out SMAT 2021-22. The batter struck 334 runs from his 7 outings of the tournament with a strike-rate of 148.44.

6. Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh, 28, is Vidarbha’s experienced wicketkeeper-batter, who has previously been part of the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) squad in IPL but hasn’t yet made his debut in the league.

Jitesh, however, could prove to be an attractive bidding option at the forthcoming IPL 2022 Mega Auction after enjoying an impressive run of games in SMAT 2021-22. He made 214 runs with an eye-catching strike-rate of 235.16 while averaging 53.50.

7. Rahul Tripathi

Last but certainly not the least is the ever-impressive Rahul Tripathi, who has had an IPL revival of sorts over the last couple of seasons in which he featured for Kolkata Knight Riders. Tripathi, the Maharashtra cricketer, lost his way for a bit after a breakthrough IPL 2017 for now-disbanded Rising Pune Super Giants. But KKR gave Tripathi the role-clarity and consistent opportunities that he required.

Also Read: 5 Overseas Players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could bid for in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction

Tripathi, wholeheartedly playing the role of a middle-order aggressor for his side, blasted 627 runs during his stint with KKR. Sadly, that association came to an end with IPL 2021. But that doesn’t mean the franchise won’t look to bring him back in their camp or that other franchises will not go hard on him at the auction.

Tripathi has recorded 1,385 runs from his 62 matches with a strike-rate of 136.31, including seven half-centuries, despite playing a very difficult role.