The IPL mega-auction saw the 10 squads take shape over two days of competitive bidding. While most of the purchases were expected, there were still a few calls that raised eyebrows.

Here we look at calls that we didn’t expect to be taken at all.

Jofra Archer

The England quick hasn’t played any cricket at all since July and was certain to miss this year’s IPL, too.

Still, the franchises wanted the 2019 World Cup winner. Archer had his base price set at two crores, and underwent furious bidding from Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians till the latter came out on top. They snatched the player for eight crore rupees.

This was a surprising fee not because Archer didn’t deserve the price tag, but because he’ll, most likely, only become available from the 2023 edition. While Mumbai have secured his services for 2023 for less than you’d have expected Archer to go for in next year’s auction, it does mean that their squad is taking a slight hit for the 2022 competition.

Ramesh Kumar

The tennis-ball cricket star who is being portrayed as Kolkata Knight Riders’ coup of the year: the Narinesque left-arm spinner, with an ability to turn it both ways and capability to go big with the bat. He was helped along the way by the likes of Gurkeerat Singh and eventually went to trial with Kolkata Knight Riders.

The little heard of player has not even represented his state at the domestic level yet, but has got an invaluable opportunity in the IPL.

Benny Howell

The uncapped 33-year-old English all-rounder who recently featured in the Bangladesh Premier League was bought for his base price by Punjab Kings. His domestic record has been excellent for some time now and he impressed for Birmingham Phoenix in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. But despite his numbers, there is a perception that his distinctive style – he is said to have upwards of fifty variations and even turned his hand to spin during this year’s BPL – has perhaps held him back from higher honours.

Varun Aaron

Now the Jharkhand speedster isn’t exactly an unknown entity in the game, having been one of MS Dhoni’s go-to guys to deliver fiery pace during the first half of the 2010s, but Aaron never quite settled at the international level.

The same holds true for his IPL record where after a promising 2014 (16 wickets at an average of 18.68), Aaron has averaged 48.56 at an economy rate of 9.59. It remains to be seen how Gujarat Titans use the pacer in this season of IPL.

Rasikh Dar

Another interesting name to come up in the IPL auction was Rasikh Dar. The Jammu Kashmir player last featured in a competitive game over two years back in 2019. The reason behind his absence was a pandemic that has raged in Indian cricket for decades: age fudging. The cricket board withdrew him from a U19 tournament and banned him for two years.

Rasikh Dar was banned for two years for age fraud. Mumbai Indians shielded him, took him to UAE as a net bowler. Got him shifted from J&K to Mumbai. Made him play club cricket and local tournaments. Comes up for bidding, and they pass at base price.

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) February 13, 2022

However, the player still featured in local leagues and club matches over the last couple of years. This year he was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders for his base price of Rs. 20 Lakh.

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