IPL 2022: Harsha Bhogle picks two players who will fetch a high price tag in mega auction

Harsha Bhogle

The IPL 2022 mega auction is around the corner. The much-awaited event will take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru with all the participating teams looking forward to outbidding each other at the auction table. Meanwhile, the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be a 10-team affair with two new franchises being introduced- Lucknow and Ahmedabad respectively.

Ahead of the auction, many players from India and across the globe have shown enthusiasm by registering their names. Meanwhile, veteran cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has picked two players who are expected to fetch big bucks in the two-day event and they are young wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan and emerging Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan.

“Ishan Kishan, because he ticks off an Indian player, left-hander, wicketkeeper… left-hand top-order wicketkeeper, that’s three boxes you’re looking for,” said Bhogle while speaking on Cricbuzz.

Shahrukh Khan is a bit like Yusuf Pathan, says Harsha Bhogle

Heaping praise on Shahrukh, Harsha added that the Tamil Nadu cricketer is big and built like Yusuf Pathan and also said that he has the ability to make his presence felt at the crease just like how Yusuf used to do in his prime.

“I’m expecting him to do really well this year because there is a spark about him, and he’s got a huge presence at the crease. He’s big built, a bit like Yusuf Pathan. You know, Yusuf Pathan in his prime when he was batting, he had that presence about him at the crease, and I find a little bit of that in Shahrukh Khan,” he said.

Ishan Kishan was roped in by the Mumbai Indians during the 2018 IPL mega auction and since then has gone on to amass 1133 runs from 45 IPL games. He has been released by the five-time champions and it would be interesting to see whether they would yet again have him on board next month. Shahrukh Khan was signed by the Punjab Kings for INR 5.25 crores in the 2021 IPL auction and in the 11 matches that he got to play, Khan averaged 21.85 and had a strike rate of 134.21. He opted to come into the auction instead of getting retained.

The promising batter has already made a statement ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction by finishing things off in style with an outstanding last-ball six for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against southern rivals Karnataka.