Last Updated on 10 months ago by Charbel Coorey

4 teams who will go after David Warner in the IPL Mega Auction | Which franchise will purchase David Warner in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction?

Sometimes cricket can be very cruel. You might be the most valuable asset for your team someday, but can find yourself out of the team the next day.

The David Warner saga is another example of poor man management in recent times. The legendary Australian batsman played the most important role for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) over the years, but after a couple of under-par performances in IPL 2021, Warner was cast aside.

There was clearly something ugly going on between Warner and SRH management, as Warner then showed in the T20 World Cup that he is still very capable as a white-ball batsman. He ended up winning the Player of the Tournament award, playing a key role in Australia’s World Cup triumph.

As a result, it is certain that IPL teams will compete to land Warner in the auction. In this article, I am going to mention four such teams.

4 teams who could sign David Warner in the IPL Mega Auction

1. Kolkata Knight Riders

After many experiments, KKR found a balanced top four in IPL 2021. But they most probably won’t retain players like Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi as they have more impactful players like Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell to choose from. Further, the abysmal returns of Eoin Morgan in IPL 2021 will make him out of favour. So, it’s quite probable that they will release some of their top order batters as well the current skipper.

David Warner would be a great pick for them, considering his dynamic batting at the top as well as exemplary leadership. If they buy Warner in the mega auction, they can get a solid opener and a brilliant captain to lead the side. Therefore, I see a big possibility of KKR bidding for the legendary Aussie batter.

2. Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB had another strong IPL this season as they qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive year. But unfortunately, this was Virat Kohli’s last season as a captain after he decided not to lead the team anymore.

Further, the performance of Devdutt Padikkal hasn’t been encouraging enough. He has struggled to get going particularly outside the powerplay. There is a great chance of RCB releasing Padikkal into the auction and looking for a more aggressive opening option against both pace and spin right at the top.

So, David Warner could prove to be the solution to both of their problems. He can be a complete package as an opener as well as the leader of the side.

3. Punjab Kings

Punjab’s opening combination of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal has been magnificent over the past couple of seasons. However, there are some reports suggesting that Rahul doesn’t want to represent PBKS and he will make himself available for the Mega Auction ahead of IPL 2022.

If he does so, Punjab will be devoid of an opening batsman and their captain. Therefore, there will be a huge possibility of PBKS bidding really big for David Warner. The duo of Mayank and Warner will be a great one to capitalize on the field restrictions in the first six overs and they are very capable against the spinners as well. They can compliment each other superbly.

4. Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals are the nearly men over the past couple of seasons, and no one can deny their improvement in this period.

Rishabh Pant, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada are the three names that come to mind first if I talk about the probable players whom DC might want to retain. Shikhar Dhawan didn’t have his best time in the UAE, and DC may wish to retain the young Prithvi Shaw.

Also, there have been some poor on-field calls by Rishabh Pant that have cost DC some matches including the all-important first Qualifier. Therefore, DC might look to go for Warner in the mega auction which will provide them a solid opener as well as a better on-field tactician. If they do so, Ricky Ponting and Warner can work collaboratively to develop the Australian mindset in the dressing room, which might take DC to new heights.

Apart from these four teams, Rajasthan Royals are also expected to bid for Warner if any of their international stars are unavailable.

This is my list of four IPL teams those will go to a great extent to get David Warner in the Mega Auction ahead of IPL 2022. Have your say!

Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today