Stars of India’s recent U-19 World Cup win were picked up at the Indian Premier League auction just eight days after beating England in the final. Raj Bawa and Rajvardhan Hangargekar attracted the highest bids of Rs 2 crore and Rs 1.5 crore respectively.
Five players were bought by the IPL franchises and three of them went unsold. All of them, barring Hangargekar had a base price of Rs 20 lakh. Hangargekar, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings, started at Rs 30 lakh.
The U-19 stars were all sold on the second day of the two-day auction in Bengaluru with Delhi Capitals going for two youngsters.
Team captain Yash Dhull was the first to go, with the Capitals securing him for Rs 50 lakh. Dhull had two excellent innings in the U-19 World Cup despite having to battle Covid-19 midway. His 82 against South Africa and 110 against Australia in the semi-finals proved to be crucial knocks for the team.
All-rounder Raj Bawa, who was the man of the match in the final for his five wickets and 35 runs with the bat, was nabbed by Punjab Kings after a bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.
Bawa’s grandfather Tarlochan Singh Bawa was a member of the national hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1948 Olympics. Bawa is a right-arm medium pacer and a left-handed batsman. He was the second-highest run-scorer and third-highest wicket-taker for India at the World Cup.
The other allrounder to have a big payday, Hangargekar, was sought by Mumbai Indians to fill the void left by the Pandya brothers. Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings joined the tussle for the Maharashtra player, and the latter won the final bid.
The big-hitting medium pacer told The Indian Express after the auction that he was happy that he was picked by the team his father used to support before his demise in 2020. His exceptional performances at the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Vinoo Mankad Trophy are sure to have attracted the attention of the teams.
Vicky Ostwal, India’s highest wicket-taker at the U-19 World Cup, was the other player bought by Delhi Capitals. The left-arm spinner has been one of the most consistent stars in the U-19 outfit. Capitals bought him at his base price of Rs 20 lakh. Another left-arm spinner Aneeshwar Gautam was also bought at his base price by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Several others like Harnoor Singh, Kaushal Tambe and Vasu Vats went unsold.
Meanwhile, there was one U-19 player whose price surpassed all others. South African Dewald Brevis, nicknamed 'Baby AB' and tipped to be the country's future cricket superstar, was snapped up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 3 crore.
Brevis was man of the series at the U-19 World Cup.
