Meet Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani – The surprise Gujarat Titans signing in IPL 2022 Auction

Prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani was just another name in the country’s cricket circles. But the auction might have changed his fortunes a wee bit. The Gujarat Titans, one of the two new teams for the upcoming season, have roped him in at a price of INR […]
 
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Meet Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani – The surprise Gujarat Titans signing in IPL 2022 Auction

Prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani was just another name in the country’s cricket circles. But the auction might have changed his fortunes a wee bit. The Gujarat Titans, one of the two new teams for the upcoming season, have roped him in at a price of INR 2.60 crores from a base price of INR 20 lakhs.

It’s only a bit over two months when Sadarangani made his List A and T20 debut for Karnataka. Primarily a middle-order batter, the 27-year-old has done well in the limited chances he has got so far. In the previous edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, the Bangalore-born scored 162 runs from four games at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 150.

His top score of 70* off 49 balls came against Saurashtra in the preliminary quarterfinal at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The knock, laced with two fours and six sixes, came under immense pressure as Karnataka chased down 146 with one ball to spare. Manohar finished off the game with a colossal six off left-arm spinner Dahrmendasinh Jadeja.

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Prior to that, Sadarangani also plied his trade for Bijapur Bulls and Hubli Tigers in the Karnataka Premier League back in 2014 and 2015. In two List A matches during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the right-hander scored 34 runs at an average of 34. The 27-year-old is also a handy leg-break bowler although he’s yet to get a wicket across formats.

Meet Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani – The surprise Gujarat Titans signing in IPL 2022 Auction

Abhinav Manohar Sadarangani triggering a bidding war – Sold to Gujarat Titans for INR 2.60 crore

 

When his bidding started, it was expected to end soon, but the teams kept going after him. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opened the bidding at INR 20 lakhs after which the Delhi Capitals (DC) jumped in. At INR 1 crore, the Capitals backed off and in came the Gujarat Titans.

From there on, the Lions went hammer and tongs to secure his services, but the Knight Riders weren’t ready to throw in the towel. KKR eventually gave up the ghost and the Titans signed Sadarangani. It remains to be seen if the Young Turk makes the starting eleven.

Overall, the Titans have a strong squad at their disposal. Before the mega auction, they signed Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan. In the auction, they also bought Jason Roy, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami and Rahul Tewatia.