On the second day of the mega auction for the IPL 2022, Punjab Kings made a big signing after they landed English all-rounder Liam Livingstone for Rs 11.50 crore. Initially, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings got involved in a tight bidding battle for Livingstone but later Punjab Kings entered and roped in the 28-year-old English all-rounder. Indian team's U-19 World Cup-winning member Raj Bawa was also signed by the Punjab-based side for Rs 2 crore on the second day of the mega auction.
Later, on the second day of the mega auction West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith was signed for an amount of Rs 6 crore.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise picked nine players on the first day of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction. However, they did not cross the Rs 10 crore mark to pick the players from their wishlist.
New players signed in IPL 2022 mega auction
Apart from Livingstone and Odean Smith, India left-handed batsman Shikhar Dhawan was the first buy, as Punjab Kings signed the southpaw for an amount of Rs 8.25 crore. Dhawan saw a tight bidding tussle initially between Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab Kings. But eventually, the left-handed opener was roped in by Punjab Kings.
After the signing of Dhawan, PBKS bolstered their bowling unit by signing prolific South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada for an amount of Rs 9.25 crore. They bought back uncapped hard-hitting batter Shahrukh Khan for Rs 9 crore after an intense bidding war with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as his stocks rose after brilliant performances in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. They invested in a wicketkeeper-batter in form of Jonny Bairstow for Rs 6.75 crore. On the other hand, leg spinner Rahul Chahar was roped in for Rs 5.25 crore.
Other Punjab Kings signings were Harpreet Brar (Rs 3.8 crore), Prabhsimran Singh (Rs 60 lakh), Ishan Porel (25 lakh) and Jitesh Sharma (Rs 20 lakh).
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Shikhar Dhawan- Rs 8.25 Crore
Kagiso Rabada – Rs 9.25 Crore
Jonny Bairstow – Rs 6.75 Crore
Shahrukh Khan – Rs 9 Crore
Harpreet Brar – Rs 3.8 Crore
Prabhsimran Singh – Rs 60 Lakhs
Jitesh Sharma – Rs 20 Lakh
Ishan Porel – Rs 25 Lakh
Liam Livingstone- Rs 11.5 crore
Odean Smith- Rs 6 crore
Sandeep Sharma- Rs 50 lakh
Raj Bawa- Rs 2 crore
Rahul Chahar- 5.25 crore
Rishi Dhawan- Rs 55 lakh
Perak Mankad- Rs 20 lakh
Vaibhav Arora- Rs 2 crore
Writtick Chatterjee- Rs 20 lakh
Baltej Dhanda- Rs 20 lakh
Ansh Patel- Rs 20 lakh
Nathan Ellis - Rs 75 lakh
Bhanuka Rajapaksa- Rs 50 lakh
Benny Howell- Rs 40 lakh
Atharva Taide- Rs 20 lakh
Retained players
Mayank Agarwal
Arshdeep Singh
Retained players
All the IPL teams were allowed to retain four of their players ahead of the mega auction 2022 but PBKS decided to retain only two players as KL Rahul parted ways with the franchise.
These two players are-Indian top-order batsman Mayank Agarwal and Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh. Mayank has played 100 matches in his IPL career so far and scored 2131 runs. He has been consistently performing well for the Punjab Kings team.
On the other hand, fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has been an impressive player for the Punjab Kings franchise, in last season. Arshdeep has so far picked up 30 wickets in 23 matches in the IPL.