Some of the biggest contracts in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have always gone to the best cricketers in the world, but there are some players who are lesser known but with talent waiting to be showcased to the world. And these players also come to the fore each year, with many of them coming to the fore in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction as well (IPL Auction 2022 LIVE updates).
While we have many Indian uncapped players who burst onto the scene because of performances in local tournaments, the player in question is West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith. In case you don’t know him as yet, you will now as his performances in franchise leagues like the Abu Dhabi T10 and more recently at the international level, have landed him a career-changing IPL contract.
Odean Smith goes to Punjab Kings for IPL 2022
Remember the Pollards and the Brathwaites and the Russells? Well, you should also get used to hearing about Odean Smith because this big all-rounder has been making plenty of headlines in recent months. Whether it’s an 8-ball 20 or a couple of wickets in a short bowling spell, he’s doing it all. He doesn’t have the big centuries or the 5-fers to his name, but he’s a high impact player in both departments.
And some of it was on display in the ongoing 2022 West Indies tour of India. He got a few scores and picked wickets, and this reached the eyes and ears of many IPL franchise teams’ talent scouts. And the interest shown in this 25-year old all-rounder was plenty, eventually being SOLD on the second day of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction to Punjab Kings.
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There were definitely a few teams eyeing this player. He’s new to international cricket with only 5 ODIs and 8 T20Is to his name, wherein he’s bagged 13 wickets with the ball and scored a total of 193 runs. But what’s noteworthy is his ODI strike rate of 192 and his T20I strike rate of 163 with the bat, which is what reached IPL team owners, making him a most-wanted player at the auction!
However, we’d consider him super unfortunate to have been drawn so late in the draw, and that’s where auction dynamics come into the picture. Had he come out on Day 1, we would’ve expected a much bigger contract to his name, but it’s still his IPL debut so we’re sure he won’t be disappointed with this chance to prove himself and come back in the next auction with a much bigger price tag!
Odean Smith gets ₹6 Crore contract
He hasn’t played in the IPL before and in fact, doesn’t have much franchise league experience outside the Caribbean Premier League, only playing the Abu Dhabi T10 League and more recently, for Multan Sultans in the 2022 Pakistan Super League. Now however, he’s set to join the big boys as he will represent Punjab in IPL 2022, after taking home a contract of as much as ₹6 Crore.
His name popped out in the second set of the day, with the likes of Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad bidding it out for him, while Rajasthan Royals joined the war much later. At the end, it was between Punjab and Sunrisers, both having around ₹17-odd Crore left in the kitty when Smith’s name was announced.
For more updates from the world of cricket and the IPL 2022 season, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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