IPL 2022 | Top Indian players that have exceptional record at particular IPL venue

The mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner. The list of retained players has already been announced and now it is time for the teams to look for new players to complete their squads. The IPL revolves around the Indian players. And, experienced Indian players are a rare commodity that every team wants to have in their team. 

Almost every team already has a few experienced Indian players, but we still have multiple notable names that will be part of this year’s auction and could earn a lot of attention from various franchises.

Here is a list of experienced Indian players available at the auction and the franchises that will look to secure them based on their records at their home venue. Even though this year's IPL is set to be hosted in Maharashtra, these players will be ace picks for the franchises since the mega auction is all about planning for the next three years.

Shreyas Iyer: 

One of the hottest captaincy prospects in the cash-rich league, Iyer has proved his mettle as the skipper of Delhi Capitals (DC) and is looking to return to a captaincy role with any other franchise apart from his previous one. He is one of the best when it comes to providing the team with the required stability in the middle overs. Iyer is someone who can sneak around singles and even tonk the bowlers all around the park when needed. He might be one of the most sought players in the league and could turn out to be the star attraction of this year’s auction.

He has an excellent track record at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad but since Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are not really in need of a skipper he might be a great option for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who are in desperate need of an Indian middle-order batter as well as a skipper. The right-handed batter has played fours matches at the Chinnaswamy and has scored 139 runs at an average of 34.75.

Ever since Virat Kohli stepped down as RCB's skipper, we knew that they would go after a captain material and there aren't too many viable options available in the market. He suits their needs perfectly but it won't be easy to get him. Majority of the franchises will bid for him and he could cost them something around (or maybe over) INR 15 crores.

Shahrukh Khan: 

Ever since his heroic last-ball six helped Tamil Nadu win the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 edition (SMAT), he has been in the limelight. The tonker has been one of the biggest talks of the town before the mega auction. He recently increased his base price from INR 20 Lakhs to 40 Lakhs for the auction as per the reports. Why is there so much craze about him? The answer is simple, India has numerous talented batters but are surely short of finishers. Hence, justifying all the attention on the Tamil Nadu-lad. 

Last time around in the IPL auction he was picked up by Punjab Kings (PKBS) for a whopping INR 5.25 crores. He announced himself in the biggest T20 tournament with a 36-ball 47 against the mighty Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a game where the other batters struggled. 

He might not have lit up the competition last year but has been consistent in the domestic circuit. Having helped Tamil Nadu win the last two SMAT competitions and performance in the recent Vijay Hazare Tournament (VHT) suggests his development into a deadly finisher. The hard-hitting all-rounder scored 253 runs in 7 innings at an average of 42.16. 

His staggering strike rate of 186.02 was something that everyone was raving about. Playing the majority of his cricket in the southern part of the country and with SRH looking for a middle-order finisher, he might be heading to the Hyderabad based franchise. 

The Super Kings will also be looking at him as a potential replacement for MS Dhoni as the finisher in the long run. There are players that certain franchises will target but his recent performances suggest that 6 out of the 10 franchises will bid for him.

Shikhar Dhawan: 

The swashbuckling left-hander is one of the highest run-scorers in the IPL. Dhawan boasts consistency for the past 5 to 6 years in the IPL. Even though he might not bat with a strike rate of above 140, 'Gabbar' still is a great pick as he consistently provides a solid start to the innings for the franchise he plays in.

Dhawan is a dream signing for any franchise at this point in time because of his performance in the stadiums at Maharashtra. Since the entire IPL 2022 will be played at the Maharashtrian venues, the opener will surely provide stability to the franchise he represents. With an average of 39.17 at Wankhede, Dhawan amassed 470 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 131.65. He has an average of 41.67 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (Pune).

Apart from his staggering track record at Maharashtra, he also has an outstanding average of 40.17 in 9 innings at the Chinnaswamy which makes him a hot pick for Bangalore. Delhi and Sunrisers could also have shot at him because of his performance at their home venues. RCB will surely love him because he will provide the solidity on which the likes of Kohli and Glenn Maxwell can capitalize.

Deepak Chahar: 

The last few years have seen the rise of Deepak Chahar. He has almost proved himself as an all-rounder at the International stage with crucial match-defining knocks for the national team. His ability with the new ball in his hand is second to none. We have seen him cause havoc in the Indian Premier League for CSK for the past few seasons but now it is time for him to go under the hammer in the auction room. 

Chennai for sure would want either of Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar back in their team but it won't be that easy. Their performances in the last two to three years have been brilliant and all eyes will be on them. Their ability with the new ball and the bat in hand lower down the order makes them a rare commodity. Multiple teams will bid for Chahar but Mumbai Indians pushing a touch harder for his signatures because of his outstanding record at the Wankhede. He has bowled 31 overs at the Wankhede picking up 11 wickets at an average of just over 20. An economy rate of 7.29 at a high scoring venue is something most teams will take into consideration while bidding for the player.

Rahul Chahar: 

The 22-year-old leg spinner has been a key member of the ranks of the Mumbai Indians playing XI for the last few years. His performance in the domestic circuit and in the Indian Premier League has resulted in him being called up to the Indian team. He is a street smart leg spinner who has a knack for picking up wickets whenever he comes into the attack. Chahar was the go-to spinner for Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians and they would have surely retained if they had a few more slots. 

Wrist spinners in the shortest format of the game are a luxury and not every team can secure the signatures of the best players in the circuit. He now walks into the mega auction as an Indian capped player and a lot of teams will go after him. His track record at the MA Chidambaram suggests that the Chennai Super Kings will love to have him at their disposal. He has bowled 28 overs at the venue and has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 15.64. He has an economy of below 7 which suggests that he surely loves bowling at Chepauk.

Shardul Thakur: 

His heroics in the Gabba Test against Australia is something that every Indian cricket fan cherishes. Thakur can be considered as a bowling all-rounder because of his credentials in the last few years. With 67 wickets at an average of 27.87 in the IPL, coupled with his ability with the new ball helped CSK dominate the opposition. In terms of ability, there are a lot of similarities between Deepak Chahar and Thakur. They both have the ability to swing the ball both ways and tonk the ball lower down the order. Not many Indian players have the sort of ability that these two possess. CSK will have a lot of difficulties in trying to bring them back as multiple franchises will try to get their signatures.

We might see a bidding war between CSK and Mumbai Indians to secure his signatures in the mega-auction. Both CSK and MI have always wanted players like Thakur who can bowl 4 overs and also be effective with the bat. Don’t be surprised if Thakur ends up causing havoc in the auction room. His records at venues in UAE are absolutely sensational but he has failed to have a similar sort of impact in the Indian venues. Since the majority of the last two seasons have been played at UAE it is pretty much certain that teams will go after him based on his performances.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 

Bhuvi was the purple cap winner of IPL 2016 when Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to win the Indian Premier League. He has been the go-to man for the SRH for as long as we can remember. But, the last few years haven’t gone according to plan for the Indian seamer. He has struggled with injuries and has also lost some pace. 

However, we can’t rule out the fact that he is a brilliant new-ball bowler and if injuries stay away he can be a gem of a player for any franchise because over the last few years he has developed himself into a bowler who can keep batters quiet in the death overs.

He might not have been retained by SRH but he still has a few years of cricket left him. SRH might look to bring him back to the setup at a cheaper price tag but his performances at Mohali and Wankhade suggests that a few other franchises will also love to have him. He has bowled 27 overs at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali and has picked up 10 wickets at an average of 17.70 with an economy of 6.56.

Whereas he has bowled 23.1 overs at Wankhade and has an average of 17 along with an economy of 5.87. His stats at both the venues recommend that Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings will consider him as a serious option and we might see him playing in either of the two teams in the upcoming season.

Notable Mentions

Ambati Rayudu: 

Six out of the 10 franchises are in search of a wicket-keeper which might be a big reason why Rayudu has registered himself as a wicketkeeper in the auction. He is one of the most experienced and consistent batters in the history of the IPL. He has scored over 3900 runs in the IPL at an average of 29.44.

He was a part of the Chennai Super Kings set up in the last few years and prior to that, he was at Mumbai Indians. In the last edition of the tournament, Rayudu scored 257 runs at an average of 29. He has been fairly consistent when we consider the fact that he has often been asked to bat in different positions. The fact that he can bat at any number is something that makes him a special player. He is a luxury to have as he can bat in the top order as well as the middle order and still be effective enough.

His record at the Wankhade and the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium suggest that he is a great pick for any franchise for the 2022 IPL. When we further look into his stats his performances at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is by far the best. Royal Challenger Bangalore will surely consider him as a great option. He has scored 380 runs in 10 innings at an average of over 47 at RCB's home turf.

Ravichandran Ashwin: 

Ashwin is one of the most experienced spinners going around. The Tamil Nadu statesman might not be as effective as he once was in picking up wickets but still remains economical and that certainly is something rare in the shortest format of the game. 

He has had a few stints away from his real home ground and his stats at Chepauk suggest that he could be heading back to Chennai Super Kings. He has bowled 151.3 overs at Chepauk and has picked up 46 wickets at an average of 20.02. He has bowled with an economy rate of 6.08 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Kuldeep Yadav: 

At one point in time, the most in-demand Indian Chinaman is now just another spinner in the circuit. The mega auction is a big opportunity for him to revive his IPL career. The Uttar Pradesh tweaker has been way off his best in the last few years. Here is an opportunity for him to switch franchises and get back to his best. 

He is a great option for the DC who are looking for an able replacement for Amit Mishra. In 13 overs delivered at the Arun Jaitley stadium, his second-most overs bowled at a venue after the Eden Gardens. He has picked up 5 wickets at an average of 15.60 at the home ground of the Delhi-based franchise.