IPL Auction 2022: From Ishan Kishan to Deepak Chahar - A look at the most expensive reunions

The build-up ahead of the mega-auction was predominantly about trying to build a squad from scratch, look at players from a long-term investment point of view or perhaps, be a chance for course-correction. However, it seemed like teams opted for a far more cautious approach by investing in some tried and tested players and working to build a team around formulas that have already worked for them.

A look at the bids of Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday will tell you that the theme for the auction seemed to be about expensive homecomings.

Before the auction, Delhi Capitals’ owner Parth Jindal was one of the only ones to have admitted that they would prioritise going after their own players but it seemed like that was the plan for a lot of other franchises too.

Mumbai Indians had been rather quiet but seemed to be patiently waiting for a specific name to come up. As expected, they went all out for Ishan Kishan at Rs 15.25 crore to ensure that he remained among the team’s already retained core players, namely Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard.

Chennai Super Kings barely initiated a bid on day one of the auction but each time they raised their paddles, it was for one of the players who was already sporting the yellow jersey in 2021. They went after their players even as the bidding wars got tense and managed to bring back Deepak Chahar for a whopping Rs 14 crore and also ensured that Ambati Rayudu (6.75 crore), Robin Uthappa (2 crore) and Dwayne Bravo (4.40 crore) will also continue to play under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Royal Challengers Bangalore also ensured that Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga remain part of their franchise for the upcoming season as they spent big and bought back both the all-rounders for Rs 10.75 crore each. Kolkata Knight Riders were also among the teams that found it hard to part with a few of their players and ended up bringing back Nitish Rana for Rs 8 crore and Australian all-rounder Pat Cummins for Rs 7.25 crore.

Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings also stepped on the bandwagon to welcome some of the uncapped players back to their setup. Maybe, just maybe, not all franchises were looking at this auction from the point of view of giving their squads a fresh new look or a major overhaul. A total of 15 players returning to their franchises was evidence of that.

Here’s a look at some of highest paid players who were bought back by their teams on Day 1:

Ishan Kishan

He had a memorable 2020 with the franchise when he amassed 516 runs during which he played an instrumental role in their title-winning campaign. The explosive batter, who can play not only as an opener but also slots well in the middle order, had a quieter 2021 with just 241 runs scored in 10 matches. But considering he has been a match-winner for Mumbai, it only made sense that the franchise would go after their own.

Deepak Chahar

As far as stories of MS Dhoni bringing the best out of bowlers go, this one is right up there. Deepak Chahar became Chennai Super Kings’ go-to powerplay bowler in a way that often saw his quota of four overs being finished up front. However, what probably makes it difficult to allow other franchises to utilise him are also his all-round abilities. In his time with CSK and now with Team India, he has shown that he has the batting prowess to keep the lower middle order steady.

Harshal Patel

He had a season to remember for Royal Challengers Bangalore last year where took 32 wickets for the team and got the nickname Purple Patel. The all-rounder was Virat Kohli’s go-to man as he got consistent breakthroughs for the team in all phases of the innings. In Harshal, RCB have a wicket-taker for the middle overs and the death. The combination of Harshal Patel and Mohammad Siraj will be expected to continue to fix RCB’s decade-old bowling woes.

Wanindu Hasaranga

He played only two matches for the franchise during his first season at the Indian Premier League but Royal Challengers Bangalore truly went hard for the Sri Lankan all-rounder. The leggie who is also a handy lower order batter may not have expected the bids to go that high, considering he has still not played as many games in Indian conditions. However, a wicket-taker in the middle overs is a key requirement for the team to ease the pressure on Harshal Patel. The franchise will hope for the leg-spinner to take up the role Yuzvendra Chahal performed for the team for so many years.

Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan’s talent was acknowledged by Punjab Kings last year too and he showed promise in a few innings but since he last played for the franchise, he has grown as a player and has polished his finishing skills as demonstrated in the domestic games for Tamil Nadu. As predicted, he was among the domestic players who were expected to fetch big moolah. As he rejoins Punjab this year, the management can be expected to trust him more along with a solid core of players.

Here is a comprehensive list of players who were bought back by their teams on Day 1:

(Statistics courtesy: HowSTAT!)