IPL 2022: Ahmedabad picks Hardik, Rashid, Gill; Lucknow picks Bishnoi, KL Rahul and Stoinis

Two new teams in the Indian Premier League – Ahmedabad and Lucknow – have officially picked their three draft players ahead of the upcoming IPL 2022 Mega Auction. Ahmedabad chose Hardik Pandya (Rs 15 crore), Rashid Khan (Rs 15 crore), and Shubman Gill (Rs 8 crore). While Lucknow has opted to go with KL Rahul (Rs 17 crore), Marcus Stoinis (Rs 9.2 crore), and Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 4 crore).

Vikram Solanki has been appointed as the Director of Cricket for Ahmedabad, while Hardik Pandya will lead the franchise. Gary Kirsten will serve as the batting coach and mentor of the Ahmedabad franchise while Ashish Nehra has been appointed as the head coach.

Talking about Lucknow, KL Rahul will take over the captaincy. Andy Flower has already been named the coach of the Lucknow franchise, while former India batsman Gautam Gambhir will serve as the mentor of the franchise.

Earlier, Hardik Pandya was not retained by Mumbai Indians while KL Rahul decided to part ways with Punjab Kings as he wanted to go for auction.

In the 2021 season, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) respectively.

While Ravi Bishnoi and Marcus Stoinis represented Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.

Earlier, IPL franchises Ahmedabad and Lucknow were asked to submit their list of draft picks by January 22. IPL chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed the development to ANI.

Two new IPL teams – Sanjeev Goenka RPSG Group for the Lucknow franchise and the Ahmedabad team of CVC Capital have received formal approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The formal approval was given after the IPL Governing Council meeting.

Brijesh Patel had also confirmed that the IPL auction will be held on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. “Yes, the auction will be held on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru,” Patel said.

-ANI. with inputs from