IPL 2022 has reshuffled teams to a great extent. A mega-auction after four years coupled with the entry of two new franchises means that teams will look different from the upcoming season. In fact, a few players have changed their loyalties for the first time in their IPL careers. On that note, in this article, we take a look at five popular players who will be playing for a different IPL franchise for the first time.
1) Hardik Pandya – Gujarat Titans
Was part of Mumbai Indians since 2015
Hardik Pandya is one of the popular players who will be playing for a different IPL franchise for the first time. The Baroda all-rounder came through the famous Mumbai Indians scouting camp back in 2015. Although he did take a while to get used to IPL cricket, once he got going, there was no looking back.
Within a short time, Hardik cemented his place in the Mumbai Indians XI and also got a chance to play for India. Ahead of IPL 2018, he was retained by the franchise. However, after the seven-year sojourn in blue-and-gold, Hardik will now play for Gujarat Titans. He has been picked for INR 15 cr and will also captain the franchise.
2) Rashid Khan – Gujarat Titans
Was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2017
Rashid Khan is the second-highest wicket-taker for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 76 games, he collected 93 wickets at an economy of 6.33. It was back in 2017 that SRH signed the Afghan. The price for the player back then was INR 4 Cr. Later, SRH paid big again in 2018 Auctions to retain him.
However, after representing the franchise for half a decade, Rashid will now turn up for a different unit. He will move to Ahmedabad, where he will play under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, who himself is playing for a different franchise for the first time.
3) Shreyas Iyer – Kolkata Knight Riders
Was part of Delhi Capitals since 2015
It will be a little different to see Shreyas Iyer in a different jersey from IPL 2022. In IPL 2015, Delhi picked the highly-rated youngster at INR 2.6 Cr. While he won the Emerging Player Award in that season, as campaigns progressed, Iyer took an important role in the batting unit. He was also retained before IPL 2018 Auctions and even captained the franchise.
The future, though, will be at KKR. The franchise has invested big in the player and has also given him the role of captaincy. It will be a challenge but it would help Iyer in the long run.
4) Krunal Pandya – Lucknow Super Giants
Was part of Mumbai Indians since 2016
Krunal Pandya is also one of the popular players who will be playing for a different IPL franchise for the first time. It was a year later after his younger brother that Krunal joined Mumbai Indians. In his six-year stay, Krunal scored 1143 runs for the team and also collected 51 wickets. He won the Player of the Match award in the final of IPL 2017, one of his memorable displays for the franchise.
From IPL 2022, Krunal will represent the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants. He was picked up by the team for INR 8.25 Cr and will form an important part of the spin attack, which also comprises Ravi Bishnoi and K Gowtham.
5) Shubman Gill – Gujarat Titans
Was part of Kolkata Knight Riders since 2018
After his splendid show at the U19 World Cup, the entire country began talking about Shubman Gill. Hence, KKR invested in the player at IPL 2018 Auctions. They paid INR 1.8 Cr for him. Since then, Gill has got numerous opportunities and was all set to crack the T20 format. However, the franchise did not retain him ahead of IPL 2022.
Now, Gill will represent the Gujarat Titans. Considering he has started doing well in the T20 format, it will be interesting to see how he goes about it. Moreover, he will be under pressure to justify his selection outside the auctions.
