IPL 2022 Auction: 5 best Vice-Captain Picks for mega Auction – The mega auctions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be staged in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. 590 players will go under the hammer. Among those 370 comprise Indian players and 220 foreign players. The 10 franchises will look to build the squad keeping in mind the longer goal. Marquee players like Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, and Pat Cummins have garnered the majority of eyeballs. Follow Ipl 2022 Live updates on InsideSport.IN
The all-rounders the likes of Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, and Mitchell Marsh are also seen as hot properties. These players also come with leadership abilities and can be seen as vice-captain options. Cummins also could be contention to be named vice-captain after his Ashes heroics. Although the leader takes the majority of the decisions, the vice-captain also plays a pivotal role in guiding the team.
IPL 2022 Auction: Devdutt Padikkal to Jason Holder, 5 best Vice-Captain Picks for mega Auction
We have seen in IPL often where Kieron Pollard has ably stepped up in the absence of Rohit Sharma for Mumbai Indians. Also, Manish Pandey led well for SRH when Kane Williamson was injured.
Here we take a look at the five best vice-captaincy picks for mega auctions
1: Devdutt Padikkal
There were a lot of eyebrows raised when RCB did not retain Devdutt Padikkal ahead of the mega auctions. The left-hand batter had a stellar run with the franchise for two years and was touted to be a long-term investment. The RCB management though choose to retain Mohammed Siraj. They still have a chance to buy Padikkal during the mega auction.
The 21-year-old is a bankable player at the top and can play the sheet anchor role to perfection. He is also seen as a potential leader. Padikkal has set himself a base price of two crores. Few teams like PBKS, DC, and MI do not have an opening batter and they could target the youngster.
2: Jason Holder
Certain reports mentioned that RCB have set sights to target West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder. His recent good form and his stellar season for SRH in 2021 IPL have catapulted him in the big league. With Ben Stokes not taking part in IPL 2022, the West Indies all-rounder could trigger a bidding war among franchises.
In IPL 2021, Holder took 16 wickets in eight games and scored 85 runs lower down the order. He also comes with captaincy experience as he led West Indies in the past. All in all, Holder is a handy player with both bat and ball.
IPL 2022 Auction: Devdutt Padikkal to Jason Holder, 5 best Vice-Captain Picks for mega Auction
3: Ishan Kishan
Mumbai Indians let go of Ishan Kishan ahead of the mega auction. The wicketkeeper batter had a breakthrough season for MI in IPL 2020. He scored 516 runs and hit 30 sixes. The southpaw’s heroics with the bat also earned him an India call-up. Sadly Kishan could not replicate the same form in IPL 2021 and that might be one of the reasons MI did not retain him. Nonetheless, Kishan is seen as the big names in IPL auctions.
He can bat anywhere up the order and can keep wickets well. The southpaw also could be groomed as the captain of the team. He has previously led the Under-19 side in the 2016 edition of the World Cup.
4: Quinton de Kock
South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock is also seen as one of the important picks in the auction due to his all-around skills. The 29-year-old has also led his South Africa and comes with a huge amount of experience. The southpaw also had a phenomenal run with MI in the past three seasons of IPL. He scored close to 1500 runs and was instrumental in getting the team off to good starts.
The former South African captain can also be seen as potential vice-captain. De Kock’s street smartness coupled with a sound understanding of the game is what makes him stand out among the other wicketkeeper-batter’s in the IPL.
5: Pat Cummins
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins displayed his leadership qualities in the Ashes series. He led from the front and marshaled his resources well. Cummins has registered himself in the mega auction and has is in the two crores bracket. Apart from bowling, the pacer is also a handy lower-order batter. He displayed his batting skills for KKR during the 2021 season of IPL.
IPL 2022 Auction: Devdutt Padikkal to Jason Holder, 5 best Vice-Captain Picks for mega Auction
Cummins is also a good bowler in the death overs. Often teams struggle to close out games. The Australian pacer’s economy rate of 8.24 is decent.
