The IPL 2022 mega auction was the fifth time the mega auctions happened. It was the second time that the mega auctions featured ten new teams. The first time ten teams competed in the mega auctions were in 2011. Kochi and Pune were the two teams back then. Lucknow and Ahmedabad are the new ones right now. These ten teams had the option to retain/pick a certain set of players ahead of the auctions. Here Is About Who Won The IPL ? When Mega Auctions Happened.
The auction was quite an interesting one with all teams look equally competitive at the end of it. Every time the mega auction happened before this season, the winner that year was completely unexpected.
Who Won The IPL ?
We look at which teams won the IPL in the year of the mega auctions:
#1 Rajasthan Royals [2008]
It was the Inaugural IPL season. Nobody had any clue about the dynamics of the league. The concept of an auction was in itself a leap of faith. Teams tried their best to assemble galaxy of superstars in their mix. The IPL back then was star driven rather than player driven. Hence the team that Rajasthan Royals picked in the auction was severely mocked.
It was safely assumed that the Royals will finish last. But in a shocking yet inspiring turn of events, Royals went on to win the trophy. They created history winning the first-ever IPL trophy. The credit of winning the Inaugural IPL will always stay with Rajasthan.
#2 Chennai Super Kings [2011]
The Chennai Super Kings were fresh from winning the title in 2010. They had the choice of retaining upto 5 players ahead of the mega auctions. CSK certainly made good use of this option. They retained their core group of players. CSK did make slight additions to their team inducting players like Dwayne Bravo into the setup. But CSK weren’t the most spectacular team in the mega auctions that year.
KKR and MI were the ones who made the right buys. Little did anyone expect CSK to defend their title. But CSK ended up doing just that. They therein laid down a template of loyalty that was soon to be picked up by other teams.
#3 Kolkata Knight Riders [2014]
The third mega auction was held in 2014. Teams had the option of retaining 3 players and using 2 RTM cards . KKR followed CSK’s model beautifully in 2014. They retained most of their core players through this option. KKR even went on to buy few of them back through the auctions. They managed to buy a player like Andre Russell for a bare minimum price (INR 50 lacs). KKR who won the title in 2012 were looking for an encore. They staged a brilliant comeback in 2014 winning 9 games on the trot to win the IPL.
#4 Chennai Super Kings [2018]
CSK were making a comeback to the IPL post the two-year suspension. They retained MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the auctions. CSK went on to invest heavily on experience. They picked players who were almost on the verge of their last run in international cricket. CSK bought the likes of Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, and Imran Tahir. Experts and fans alike laughed at CSK’s method. CSK stunningly went on to prove everyone wrong. They ended up winning their third title with what was called the dad’s army.
