A look at some of the bromances which won't be seen in the upcoming IPL 2022.
After two days of extreme bidding wars and 600 players going under the hammer for 10 teams to pick them up, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction came to an end. While for some it was a great opportunity to be picked, for some, it was a sad ending as they went unsold.
In fact, many big names couldn't get buyers, while plenty of young talents were taken for a lot more money than they would have expected. That's the beauty of the IPL.
Now with the auction ended, fans who attentively paid attention to all the players will also be having to say bye to their favourite player combos from their favourite teams.
A look at some of the bromances which won't be seen in the upcoming IPL 2022.
1. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli
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South African legend AB de Villiers had in a series of tweets announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. ABD, 37, had already retired from international cricket, but the right-hander continued playing in different T20 leagues including IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The news shocked all, especially his teammate and close friend, Virat Kohli. Reacting to the news, the former RCB skipper posted his best wishes to ABD.
"To the best player of our times and the most inspirational person I've met, you can be very proud of what you’ve done and what you’ve given to RCB my brother. Our bond is beyond the game and will always be," Kohli wrote.
IPL will surely be missing the explosive Mr 360 and even the bond the two teammates shared over the course of time.
2. Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya
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The Pandya Brothers (Krunal and Hardik) had been an integral part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for a long time. Both the players started their journey from Mumbai, however, this will be the first time when they will be seen playing for other teams.
While Hardik Pandya was roped in by Gujrat Giants as their draft pick and will become the captain of the side, Krunal will be joining the other new IPL team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after being purchased at the auction.
3. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal
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Best-friends KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who hail from Karnataka, were the backbone of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) batting unit. The due used to give the team the desired momentum when they used to bat.
However, ahead of the IPL 2022 retention, Rahul told his franchise that he does not wish to continue with Punjab and was released. He was later picked by the Lucknow franchise and made their skipper.
While Punjab has not announced their skipper yet, Mayank Agarwal will now be seen with another opener - mostly Shikhar Dhawan. But surely, the IPL 2022 will be a different era seeing the two best friends playing for different teams.
4. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina
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Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was one of the big names that went unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction. After going unsold on the first day, the veteran batter, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, was ignored by franchises on the final day as well. Raina went unsold for the first time in an IPL auction.
This will be the second IPL season Raina would miss since the competition began in 2008. He had earlier missed the tournament in 2020 after returning home from UAE due to personal reasons.
This will also be the end of the strong bond he shares with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni. Called the 'Chinna Thala', Raina has proved his loyalty to Dhoni on numerous occasions.
He even announced his international retirement on the same day after Dhoni announced showing his love for the CSK 'Thala'.
5. David Warner and Rashid Khan
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Talking about Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the team lost two important players who were always their core stars - spinner Rashid Khan and batter David Warner.
Rashid had dominated international cricket while playing for Hyderabad while at the same time, Warner was associated with this team since 2013 and made the team the champion in 2016.
However, the way the franchise handled Warner in the 2020 edition after removing him from captaincy and then even keeping him on the sidelines, got fans agitated.
Later at the retention stage, Rashid Khan also said he would like to be released and later the Lucknow franchise took him under their wings.
The Hyderabad side will surely be missing out on a lot as Warner was purchased by the Delhi Capitals at the auction.
