Hardik Pandya has been officially appointed as the captain of the Ahmedabad franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
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In three words, Hardik Pandya has made it official in IPL 2022. On his Twitter handle, he wrote “Kem Cho, Ahmedabad.” This was the official confirmation that Hardik Pandya was appointed as the captain of the Ahmedabad franchise. Apart from Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill were the other players signed. Hardik and Rashid Khan were paid Rs 15 crore each while Shubman Gill was paid Rs 8 crore.
All three players will play for the Ahmedabad franchise in IPL 2022. Hardik Pandya was released by the Mumbai Indians. However, the shocking release of Rashid Khan from Sunrisers Hyderabad stunned cricket fans. Rashid was the leading wicket-taker for Sunrisers Hyderabad for all the 76 games that he played. Shubman Gill played for three years for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kem cho Ahmedabad ?? pic.twitter.com/ZsuaX6PADY
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) January 22, 2022
Ahmedabad and Lucknow were given an auction purse of Rs 90 crore. But, unlike other teams, they can only retain three players with only one overseas slot. The other teams can retain four with two overseas slots. Ahmedabad will head into the franchise with Rs 52 crore, having shelled out a total of Rs 38 crore for the three players.
Read – IPL 2022: Ahmedabad and Lucknow given till January 22
Rashid picked up 93 wickets at an economy rate of less than seven. His brilliant record and match-winning performances with the ball made many believe he might be the automatic retention in the Sunrisers Hyderabad side. But, when they chose Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, and Umran Malik, the decision raised eyebrows. The reasons are muddled. But it is believed that Rashid wanted a bigger prize and wanted to be the first pick.
Gill, on the other hand, played for the Kolkata Knight Riders since 2018, having been bought for Rs 1.8 crore. The youngster played some good knocks for KKR but he was not retained. Kolkata Knight Riders have retained Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, and Varun Chakravarthy.
The new teams, according to the BCCI General Advisory, will have to forfeit Rs 33 crore for acquiring the three players. Rs 15 crore, Rs 11 crore, and Rs 7 crore are the stipulated fee slab for the players for the franchises if they sign three capped players. If it is two players, then the rates will be Rs 24 crore, which is broken into Rs 14 crore and Rs 10 crore. If the franchise signs only one player, then only Rs 14 crore will have to be forfeited. An uncapped player would cost them only Rs 4 crore. They cannot sign more than one uncapped player.
The latest development suggests that the dates of the mega-auction will remain on February 12 and 13. It will be held in Bangalore, with proper coronavirus social distancing norms. A total of 10 teams will participate in IPL 2022.
