As many as five players from Odisha have made their place in the list of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction 2022. They include Subhranshu Senapati, Abhishek Raut, Bikash Rout, Jayant Behera and Rajesh Mohanty.
The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has recommended their names for the IPL auction on the basis of their performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, 2021-22.
However, the million dollar question is how many Odia players will make it into an IPL team in this edition?
“With two new teams-Ahmedabad and Lucknow in fray in this edition, chances for the Odia players to make it to any team is bright,” said Sanjay Behera, secretary, OCA.
As per former cricketer Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Subhranshu is arguably the best batsman from Odisha and there is a great chance that the talented batsman may be picked and groomed for future.
“Subhranshu has impressed one and all with his batting. He is also developing in leaps and bounds with each passing day. He will be definitely a good choice in the mega auction,” said Parida.
“Among others, Abhishek has the experience of playing for Rajasthan Royals. The utility all-rounder could also be a valuable addition for any franchise,” he said.
Subhranshu had also made it to the final list of auction in the last edition of IPL along with promising all-rounder Govind Poddar. However, none of the franchises evinced their interest in picking up any one.
Only two Odia players Biplab Samantray and Haladhar Das have played in the IPL as OCA nominees though Odia cricketer Pragyan Ojha and Abhishek Rout represented Hyderabad and Maharashtra cricket associations, respectively in the cash-rich league.