KL Rahul to Shikhar Dhawan: Top five players Lucknow can target in IPL 2022 mega auction – In Pics

David Warner had a poor outing in IPL 2021 as he was dropped from the Sunrisers Hyderabad team and also lost his captaincy to teammate Kane Williamson. But he came back strongly in the T20 World Cup 2021, helping Australia win their maiden T20 World Cup crown and also emerged as the Player of the Tournament. A legend in the shortest format of the game, the Lucknow owners would take the Australian as the top priority.

KKR fast bowler Mavi has been the leading wicket-taker for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy and reports suggest, the Kolkata franchise is unlikely to retain the right-arm pacer. Another home-grown player can be a likely addition to the ranks.

Since the Lucknow team will be the first from Uttar Pradesh, the owners are likely to buy players who had a great outing for the UP team in the recently concluded Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy and Rinku Singh is one such player. Rinku already has IPL experience with KKR and Punjab Kings and has emerged as the top run-getter for UP with 187 runs at an average of 93.50.

According to The Indian Express report, star batter KL Rahul will end his association with Punjab Kings and he is likely to become the captain of the new Lucknow franchise. As per sources, Rahul has already agreed to the deal offered by the new franchise.

Delhi Capitals opener Dhawan was one of the top run-getters of the 2021 IPL, as he smashed 587 runs last season. However, he was overlooked in the national team for the T20 World Cup 2021 and the T20I series against New Zealand.

Also, if reports are to be believed, DC are set to retain Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, and Andre Nortje, which means Dhawan will be up for grab in the mega auction and given his record in the shortest format of the game, the Lucknow owners would be eager to have the experienced campaigner in their team.