Akash Ambani, Kaviya Maran, Aryan Khan, Parth Jindal: Next-gen team owners play on front foot at Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022

The just-concluded Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022 witnessed some intense bidding wars, amazing strategies and last-minute surprises at the ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru. The frenzy of the IPL auction can be gauged from the fact that even before the beginning of the programme, over 7 lakh people were streaming the IPL Mega auction via DisneyPlus Hotstar on February 12. During the event, this figure touched double digits easily. Apart from the stats and players, what caught the attention of IPL fans were the next generation representation at the auction tables. From Akash Ambani of the Mumbai Indians to Kaviya Maran of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, young owners were seen in action during the two-day event.

So, who are these young guns and how well they succeeded during the IPL Mega auction? Here’s a lowdown on the men and women behind the big buys and bold moves at the Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022:

Akash Ambani: Elder son of Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), the 30-year-old Brown University educated owner of the of the Mumbai Indians has been a regular at the IPL auctions. While some may say that the Mumbai Indians had a laidback attitude during the bidding war, the kind of buys made by Akash Ambani show otherwise. Both of Day 1 and Day 2 of the IPL auction, Ambani’s Mumbai Indians splurged big money to buy players such as Ishan Kishan for Rs 15.25 crore and England’s Jofra Archer for Rs 8 crore and ace T-20 finisher Tim David for a cool Rs 8.25 crore cheque. After the auction, Ambani expressed happiness with the way things worked out for the Mumbai Indians and said that had someone said that MI would have Archer and Kishan in its squad, he ‘wouldn’t have believed it.’

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Kaviya Maran: The daughter of media mogul Kalanithi Maran, Kaviya Maran first came to limelight during the 2018 IPL Auction. At that time also, social media was buzzing with the SRH owner’s queries. The 30-year-old is actively involved in SUN TV’s Sun Music and the related FM Channels. Kalanithi Maran, her father, is the grand-nephew of ex-Tamil Nadu CM and DMK Patriarch late M Karunanidhi. Dayanidhi Maran, the Chennai Central MP, is also related to Kaviya Maran. Seen at the IPL Mega Auction table along with SRH bowling mentor Muttiah Muralitharan and team director Tom Moody, Kaviya Maran was among the top IPL-related trends on the social media over the weekend. In terms of this year’s team, Sunrisers Hyderabad ended the IPL mega auction with 20 players in its squad. The most expensive cricketer bought by Kaviya Maran’s franchise is Nicholas Pooran for whopping Rs 10.75 crore. Other major buys include T Natarajan, Washington Sundar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Aryan Khan-Suhana Khan and Jahanvi Mehta: Kolkata Knight Riders’ co-owners Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla have passed on the proverbial baton to the next-generation. This year’s IPL Mega Auction saw Shah Rukh Khan’s children Aryan Khan and Suhana Khan along with Juhi Chawla’s daughter Jahanvi Mehta making the decision for the KKR squad. It was first public outing of Aryan Khan after the cruise controversy. The brother-sister duo looked every bit involved in the auction. Khans never looked perturbed during the high-voltage bidding wars. Mehta on the other hand looked very resilient and focused when it came to auction.

Also Read: IPL Mega Auction 2022: Shahrukh Khan, Avesh Khan, Rahul Tewatia — uncapped Indians become overnight crorepatis on Day 1

On both Day 1 and Day 2, like Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders made big buys at the IPL Mega auction. On Day 1, February 12, KKR scripted history as it snapped Shreyas Iyer for Rs 12.25 crore in the marquee set. The Khans and Mehta also shelled out Rs 7.25 crore for Australia skipper Pat Cummins after a fierce bidding battle with new entrant Gujarat Titans.

Parth Jindal: The Managing Director at JSW Cement and JSW Paint, Parth Jindal has been seen as the silent force behind transformation of Delhi Daredevils into Delhi Capitals. In 2019, the JSW Sports had bought 50 per cent stakes in the IPL team of Delhi. The Rs 550 crore deal with the GMR Group saw a complete overhaul of the franchise. A Harvard Business School alumni, Parth Jindal has never shied from taking risks during the IPL auctions. He is also not a stranger in the field of sports. Apart from the IPL franchise, Parth Jindal also owns Bengaluru FC, which has been the most successful football club in recent years. The 31-year-old was seen consulting at the auction table. The Delhi Capitals made some smart buys on both days of the IPL mega auction. On Day 1, DC bought opener David Warner for Rs 6.25 crore. DC went into the auction with a very straight forward plan. They wanted Warner, they got him. Many also said that getting a player like Warner for under Rs 10-crore price tag was a steal. The biggest acquisition by DC this year was Shardul Thakur. They broke the bank for the all-rounder and got him for Rs 10.75 crore. Other major players in this year’s squad include Khaleel Ahmed for Rs 5.25 crore. Mitchell Marsh for Rs 6.50 crore.