Ever since the plans of the much larger IPL auction for 2022 were announced, there’s been lots of buzz about potential signings, both Indian and overseas.

After all, the IPL is the T20 league juggernaut, boasting a large volume of top-quality cricketers from around the world. Ever since its inception in 2008, the IPL has seen a multitude of talented South Africans that have gone on to succeed, with AB de Villiers being one of the most prolific.

With that being said, let’s take a look at three South Africans – one batter, one allrounder, and one bowler – who might be in line for an IPL contract for the first time.

Rassie van der Dussen

It’s quite curious how the stately, consistent, and resolute right-hander hasn’t yet featured in the IPL despite being one of South Africa’s most dependable batters across formats. Last month, van der Dussen was among the stars of the show for SA, despite a difficult T20 World Cup campaign. A personal-best unbeaten 94 against a mighty England side in the Proteas’ last game helped set up an imposing score, which they’d later defend.

While top-order anchors aren’t usually on high demand, van der Dussen has definitely pushed his case with his recent returns. At times, he may take a while to find his rhythm, but when he gets going, he can build an aggressive innings at will. He was close to an IPL deal when the Rajasthan Royals planned on drafting him as a replacement in May, but an injury kept him out of the action. With the addition of two new teams, he stands an even better chance to attract a bidding war.

Dwaine Pretorius

Overseas allrounders have always been a hot commodity in the IPL. Having a very useful two-in-one who can contribute regularly with bat and ball can be priceless. Pretorius has mostly excelled with the ball this year, with 8 wickets in 5 T20WC games. He normally gets to bowl in the middle overs, but SA captain Temba Bavuma used him as a death bowler. The experiment worked out quite well, and the team benefited from his parsimonious spells as well as his wicket-taking ability.

Even though he hasn’t had frequent chances to contribute with the bat, he boasts a strike rate of 140 in T20 cricket, which is reliably strong for a trusted finisher. Performances in world events are generally an adequate indicator of ability, and Pretorius has definitely thrown his hat in the ring.

Keshav Maharaj

Similar to top-order batters, overseas finger spinners aren’t very popular in the IPL auctions. However, the left-arm spinner from Durban could cause a slight paradigm shift – he’s already gotten off to a tremendous start in T20Is. He may have taken 6 wickets in 8 games, but he’s maintained an economy rate under 6. In addition, he captained the Proteas to a T20I series win against Sri Lanka in very spin-friendly conditions. Since there’s a larger pool of players for the IPL teams to choose from, Maharaj’s stocks probably have risen.