IPL Auction 2022: PBKS bag Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada; Ravichandran Ashwin goes to RR

Shikhar Dhawan was the first player to go under the hammer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction on Saturday.

Dhawan, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) between 2019 and 2021, had a base price of INR 2 crore.

After a fierce bidding between DC and Punjab Kings (PBKS), Dhawan went to Punjab for INR 8.25 crore.

In 2018, PBKS were denied a chance to sign after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had secured the explosive batsman by using RTM.

PBKS also bagged fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, another player from Delhi. PBKS bought the Proteas pacer for INR 9.25 crore, beating Gujarat Titans in the bidding war.

Rabada, who made his IPL debut in 2017, has picked up a total of 76 wickets so far, having played 50 games.

IPL Auction 2022: Royals bag Ashwin at INR 5 crore

Another DC player, Ravichandran Ashwin, went to Rajasthan Royals (RR) at INR 5 crore. The talented spinner also had a base price of INR 2 crore.

With 5784 runs in 192 matches, Dhawan is one of the most successful batsmen in the tournament.

As many as 10 players, including Ashwin, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Shami and Shikhar Dhawan, were part of the 10 players who were listed as marquee stars for the IPL 2022 auction. Each of them have their base price at Rs 2 crore.