At a base price of Rs 20 lakh, along with the Indian U-19 skipper Yash Dhull, Harnoor Singh, Aneeshwar Gautam, Raj Angad Bawa, Kaushal Tambe, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Vasu Vats and Vicky Ostwal have been shortlisted for the auction list of IPL 2022.
Yash Dhull and his mates ate ice-creams to celebrate their U-19 World Cup triumph, and that itself tells you how straightforward the entire campaign was. All of them shared a body language so confident that it was borderline casual. Now, sitting pretty at the top of the world, they are staring at a mega auction in the Indian Premier League that will change some of their lives forever.
God bless Kerry Packer for introducing us to the idea of packaging white-ball cricketers as a television commodity. That has become a model where team owners invest in professional cricketers who essentially pitch for themselves every time they step out in the park.
RAJVARDHAN HANGARGEKAR
He is tall and robust. He is confident and has a swagger. Not only that, but he is what Indian T20 cricket needs - someone to bowl 140+ and hit big sixes. Hangargekar has the right attitude for a fast bowler. His batting is fairly one-dimensional, which is fine if it involves hitting sixes. He will play more and grow and adapt as he faces several scenarios, but he does look closer to a finished product.
Because of being an Indian fast-bowling option who can also be a designated power-hitter, Hangargekar will start a bidding war. A war for what color other than the blue, he will be dawning in his first of hopefully many years of top flight cricket.
RAJ ANGAD BAWA
Nine wickets at an average of 16.66 and an economy rate of 4.50. His ability to run-in and bowl cagey lines got him a fifer in the finals. With the bat, he can soak up the pressure when at the crease. Bawa can hit the big ball, too. His unbeaten 162 against Uganda had everything you need from an all-rounder in the shortest format.
YASH DHULL
Yash Dhull has done more than just leaving a mark. His 110 in the semis against Australia was a masterclass in partnership batting. This came after him missing a few games due to COVID. Watching Yash lead the team in the final, one gets the impression that he knows that greater things are to come.
Dhull kis rated highly in the circuit and was also the highest run-getter in the 2021 Vinoo Mankad Trophy with 321 runs at an average of 75.50. The art of batsmanship in modern day cricket is a lot about knowing when to change gear. He is very good at that. Someone like Dhull, who has a strong defensive game to start but can explode against spin at once and can carry that momentum against pace, is often the very template of successful IPL batting.
KAUSHAL TAMBE
A top-order batsman who can bowl off-spin is currently unheard of in the Indian white-ball set-up. It is only now that Washighton Sundar and Deepak Hooda have been drafted in the senior team to fill up that void.
Born in the land of Shivaji, Tambe was awarded the Most Promising Player of the Year by the Maharashtra Cricket Association back in 2016. His appetite for runs has been a constant, which was highlighted in the two centuries he got in the domestic season recently.
VICKY OSTWAL
A left-arm spinner who is about 6 feet tall and bowls wicket to wicket. It shouldn't be a surprise that Vicky Ostwal got Shane Watson out in 2019 when he was a net bowler for CSK. He has only evolved since, as he picked up 11 wickets in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.
Ostwal’s greatest strength is his high-arm action, which allows him to bowl with pinpoint accuracy. He has grown up watching IPL spin bowling and will take to it in the most sublime fashion if given an opportunity.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
More From The Author: Lost In African Safari, Indian Cricket Seeks A Core Leadership Team