The upcoming IPL auctions on 19 December will see the eight franchises out-bid each other as they look to bridge the weaknesses in their respective sides. It will also be the ideal opportunity for teams to bring in young talent and nurture them into genuine match-winners for the future. Taking a leaf out of Mumbai Indians’ book, who focus on unearthing new and promising talent, the sides will be eyeing a few youngsters who have left their mark in age-group and domestic cricket.
We have a look at five such players who can be hot property when the auction gets rolling in Kolkata this week. Having fought abject poverty and resistance, these young guns dared to follow their dreams and will be hopeful of seizing on to their chances and step up on the biggest platform.
Sushant Mishra Living His Father’s Dream
Left-arm seamer Sushant Mishra grabbed eyeballs in domestic cricket for his pace and his unerring lines that forced Rahul Dravid to select him in the Under-19 World Cup that will be held in South Africa next month.
The 18-year-old has played 8 youth ODIs thus far for the national team and has picked up 19 wickets at an impressive average of just over 15 with a five-wicket haul as well.
However, Mishra’s journey to reach this level has not been the easiest. His father gave up his job so his son could go after his ambitions. A medical representative, Mishra Senior accompanied Sushant to his training sessions, where the coaches were in awe of the pace that the protégé could generate. Believing that his son was destined for greater feats, Sushant was allowed to pursue his passion, and the cricketer would now want to achieve greater heights to make his family prouder.
Arjun Azad Set Aside Family Business for Cricket
With a well laid out family business before him, Arjun Azad, son of business man Sanjeev Azad was expected to toe the line and venture into the construction company in Panchkula as well.
Despite initial resistance from his family, young Azad took to cricket, and under the watchful eyes of Harminder Singh Pannu perfected his batting technique.
Nicknamed Junior Sachin Tendulkar for his cover drives, the young Chandigarh player made news during the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup in Bangladesh this year. Despite being out for no score in the finals, Azad bagged the Player of the Tournament award after a finely struck 121 against Pakistan and a fifty against Kuwait.
His runs were just an extension of the fine form that he has been in since the start of 2018. Last year, he smashed 151 runs against Maharashtra in the Dhruv Pandove Trophy, and scored 407 runs with the help of a hundred and three fifties in the Vinoo Mankad U-19 tournament. He scored another 440 runs in the U-19 Cooch Behar Tournament, which led to his selection in the U-19 India A team. Before the Asia Cup, Azad smashed five fifties in nine games, and his father couldn’t have been prouder.
Aryan Juyal Given Flight by Father’s Dedication
Born into a family of doctors, Aryan Juyal, 18, was highly passionate about cricket ever since he was in the third standard. His talent helped him gain an entry into the school cricket team in Haldwani, his home town, and he soon grabbed the attention of Ravindra Negi, a coach from the Abhumanya Cricket Academy.
Juyal’s father then sent him to Moradabad so he could stay with his grandparents and train at the LB Shastri Cricket Club in Delhi under Sanjay Bharadwaj. Even at their house back in Haldwani, Juyal’s father built an indoor practice net with an artificial turf and wicket on the terrace, so that the young cricketer would not miss out on training whenever he was home. It also helped Aryan train in rainy weather, and the efforts of his father paid rich dividends as he went on to represent Uttar Pradesh in the Vinoo Mankad tournament in 2017.
It was a dream debut for Aryan, who scored 401 runs in five innings, which enabled him to get picked for the Challenger Trophy. He was in the top four batters with 171 runs, which helped him earn a spot for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup side. Juyal has just played 13 List A games in his career thus far and will be aiming to go higher. His strong technique, perfected under the watchful eyes of his father, can make him a player who is much sought after in the IPL auctions.
Kartik Tyagi’s Rise From a Family of Farmers
After being selected in the Under-19 team for the World Cup, the celebrations in the Tyagi household told its own story. As neighbours thronged the cricketer’s house in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Kartik’s father Yogendra could not hide his emotions.
Born into a poor farming family, Yogendra never came in the way of his son pursuing an expensive sport, and worked doubly hard to buy him the proper kit and send him to the best training facilities.
Having no background or associations in cricket meant that Tyagi had to chart his own way to the top, which he managed to do along with the unending support from his family. Having started playing at the age of 13, the cricketer soon rose up the ranks to play for the state under-14 and under-16 teams. He continued showing his prowess for the Under-19 state side as well, and was directly called up to represent Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.
A fine run in youth cricket has given him a chance to lead the pace attack in South Africa next month, and if he can bag a deal in the auctions as well, it would be the perfect gift for his hardworking family.
Anuj Rawat’s Inspiring Story
Belonging to a lower middle class family, the 20-year-old’s family had to take loans from friends, family and neighbors to see him pursue his dreams. Belonging to a small district of Roopur in Uttarakhand, Rawat’s family was into farming, but after his father Virendra Pal Singh Rawat spotted Anuj’s talent and saw his in-built flair for the game, he knew that his son had to go to New Delhi if he wanted to play professionally.
Anuj’s coach Satish Pokhriyal helped his family with financial aid, and thought it was difficult to make ends meet, Virendra and his wife knew that it would pay greater rewards. Sure enough, Anuj soon represented Delhi in Ranji Trophy, and was also named as the Under-19 skipper. He is yet to play in the IPL, and will hope to bag a deal and repay all the loans that his family took to support him and his career.
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