Changing days for Jammu and Kashmir! In a first, five J&K players set to feature in the IPL 2023

New Delhi, Dec 26: In the latest development after IPL mini-auction held last week, Vivrant Sharma has been bought by SunRisers Hyderabad for a whopping money of Rs 2.6 crore, an unusual price for an uncapped cricketer. It is understood that the 23-year-old was the most expensive uncapped batsman in the IPL 2023 auctions, 13 times his original value of Rs 20 lakh.

With several players coming in from Jammu and Kashmir, he has become the 5th Jammu and Kashmir player to feature in the IPL 2023. Apart from him, speedsters Yudhvir Singh Charak and Avinash Singh Manhas went to Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 20 lakhs and Rs 60 lakhs respectively. As Umran Malik and Abdul Samad still playing for SRH, all in, there are five players from J&K who will be featuring in IPL 2023.

Speaking of Avinash Singh, it was a big surprise for cricket fans of J&K as he is completely unknown in J&K cricket. The 24-year-old pacer, who can hurl the ball around 150 kms per hour, hasn’t represented J&K in domestic cricket at any level. He was not even in the eyes of J&K selectors.

Yudhvir Singh, a bowler, was sold to Lucknow Super Giants who was previously with Mumbai Indians.

Jammu and Kashmir has been overlooked and ignored for several years. However, the scenario seems to be changed because this year J&K had 21 players in the IPL auction list. Among the 21 players selected, 14 are fast bowlers. It’s for the first time that J&K has the most number of selected players in the 2023 edition of the IPL auction.

Among these 21 cricketers, five to seven cricketers were from a cricket academy in Jammu, Mayank Joshi Cricket Academy, including Avinash Singh. Almost all those who got into the IPL Auction list from this academy were unknown in JKCA cricket fraternity and found a place in the auction owing to the IPL franchises having held trials at the academy venue in Jammu.

A number of bowlers had attended trials organised by various franchise teams. Delhi Capitals held a scouting camp in the Valley in August and some of those selected in the talent hunt were later called up for the main trials in October. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians were also keen on giving J&K pacers a trial. Basit Bashir and Sharukh Dar played as net bowlers for Punjab Kings and SRH in the 2022 edition of the IPL.

Reportedly, a number of IPL scouts saw the J&K senior cricket team play during the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament and Vijay Hazare Trophy. After the emergence of Umran Malik, IPL teams have been looking at the raw pace from J&K.