During the IPL 2022 Mega Auction on Saturday, Suresh Raina was the second player not to be sold (after South Africa’s David Miller). There were no bidders for Raina’s first offer, whose base price was set at ₹2 crores. The opening bid of Steve Smith of Australia was also unsuccessful.
In every edition of the tournament except the 2016 and 2017 ones, when the franchise was banned, Raina represented the Chennai Super Kings. During the 2021 edition, Smith played for the Delhi Capitals. He also led the Rajasthan Royals in the 2019 and 2020 editions. Earlier in the auction, Punjab Kings acquired India’s opening batter Shikhar Dhawan for ₹8.25 crore. The Rajasthan Royals bought Ravichandran Ashwin for ₹5 crores. Pat Cummins, the captain of the Australia Test team, was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for 7.25 crore. The Punjab Kings acquired Kagiso Rabada for 9.25 million from the Proteas. The Rajasthan Royals purchased Kiwi pacer Trent Boult for ₹8 crores.
In a deal worth 12.25 crore, KKR picked up Shreyas Iyer. Gujarat Titans acquired Indian pacer Mohammed Shami for 6.25 crore. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) signed South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis for ₹7 crores. Lucknow Super Giants acquired Quinton de Kock for 6.75 crores. Mumbai Indians acquired David Warner for 6.25 crores.
