IPL 2022: Nitish Rana picked up by KKR for Rs 8 cr; Steve Smith goes unsold

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 12 (ANI): Left-handed batter Nitish Rana was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 8 crore in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction on Saturday.
For Rana, a bidding war happened between KKR, Lucknow Super Giants, and Mumbai Indians. India batter Manish Pandey was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 4.6 crore. Windies left-handed batter Shimron Hetmyer was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 8.5 crore. India batter Robin Uthappa was acquired by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 2 crore.
England opening batter Jason Roy was acquired by Gujarat Titans for Rs 2 crore. Proteas player David Miller went unsold in the auction as there were no takers for him, however, he might be picked up in the accelerated auction which will take place later on.
India opening batter Devdutt Padikkal was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 7.75 crore, while Suresh Raina and Steve Smith went unsold in the auction. West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was picked up by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 4.4 crore.
Earlier in the auction, India opening batter Shikhar Dhawan was acquired by Punjab Kings for Rs 8.25 crore. Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 5 crore. Australia Test captain Pat Cummins was taken by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 7.25 crore.
Proteas pacer Kagiso Rabada was acquired by Punjab Kings for Rs 9.25 crore. Kiwi pacer Trent Boult was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 8 crore. Shreyas Iyer was picked up by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore. India pacer Mohammed Shami was picked up by Gujarat Titans for Rs 6.25 crore.
South Africa batter Faf du Plessis was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 7 crore. Lucknow Super Giants picked up Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore. Australia opening batter David Warner was picked up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 6.25 crore.
A total of 600 cricketers will go under the hammer in the auction that will be held on Saturday and Sunday.
Rs 2 crore is the highest reserve price and as many as 48 players chose to place themselves in this bracket.
There are 20 players on the auction list with a reserve price of Rs 1.5 crore while 34 players are on the list of cricketers with a reserve price of Rs 1 crore.
A total of 377 Indian players and 223 overseas players are up for grabs in what promises to be an action-packed IPL 2022 Player Auction in Bengaluru. (ANI)