With the addition of two new teams (Lucknow and Ahmedabad) the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) will have 10 teams participating to win the prestigious IPL trophy.
In a situation like this, on the first day of the mega auction for IPL 2022, the Lucknow Super Giants franchise had a busy outing as they spent Rs 83.1 crore.
Lucknow's signings
The KL Rahul-led side signed, Indian all-rounders Deepak Hooda (Rs 5.75 crore) Krunal Pandya (Rs 8.25 crore), South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock (Rs 6.25 crore) as well. Previously they had decided to land Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (Rs 9.2 crore) and Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 4 crore), before the mega auction for the IPL 2022.
The Lucknow-based franchise also roped in players like- Manish Pandey ( Rs. 4.6 crore), Jason Holder (Rs 8.75 crore), Deepak Hooda ( Rs 5.75 crore), Mark Wood (Rs 7.50 crore), Avesh Khan (Rs 10 crore), Ankit Rajpoot (Rs 50 Lakh).
While talking about the first day of auction and planning for the second day's auction, Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka said that “we need 7 more players.”
Sanjiv Goenka speaks
“We have got 11 players and we need 7 more players and we have got 6.9 crores,” Goenka said during an exclusive interview with Sports Today.
While talking about the signing of wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, Goenka revealed the initial planing of signing the South African cricketer. The Lucknow-based franchise had eventually signed him for Rs 6.25 crore.
“Our budget for Quinton was about 9," Goenka expressed.
“I think we have not got everyone we had wanted but in balance this exactly the way we have wanted the team,” he added.
Ahmedabad's signings
On the other hand, the other new franchise, Gujarat Titans signed players like, Mohammed Shami (Rs 6.25 crore), Jason Roy (Rs 2 crore), Lockie Ferguson (Rs 10 crore), Abhinav Sadarangani (Rs 2.6 crore), Rahul Tewatia (Rs 9 crore), Noor Ahmed (30 lakh), R Sai Kishore (Rs 3 Crore).
The Hardik Pandya-led side had previously roped in two more players apart from skipper Pandya and those are- Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and Indian top order batter Shubman Gill before the starting of the IPL mega auction.
