The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 11) is all set to kick-start in April-May, with two teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals making their comeback after facing a two-year ban following the spot-fixing scandal in 2013.
The auction dates have been announced after the IPL governing council meet had cleared the deck for retaining five players, which includes three Right to Match cards or three retained. The IPL 11 auction will be held on January 27 and 28 in Bengaluru. 2018 edition auction will see teams having an increased budget of Rs 80 crore from the previous Rs 66 crore.
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IPL 2018 will see a lot of young players, some from India and from abroad, who can set the auction on fire because of their performances in domestic and first-class cricket.
Let’s have a look at the young lads:
Arjun Tendulkar
The son of India’s legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun has made it to headlines several times in 2017 for his performances. Arjun Tendulkar has been hitting the nets when Sachin Tendulkar was the part of the Indian cricket. He first grabbed the limelight when he injured one of England’s main batsman Jonny Bairstow during the practice session in Lord’s.
Later, he was spotted showing his bowling skills to Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan among others during their New Zealand series. His recent five-wicket haul paved the way for Mumbai’s win over Railways in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy. Arjun had picked up a fifer against Madhya Pradesh three weeks ago and later picked up a four-for against Assam.
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He can be picked up during the IPL 11 auction. Though he may not get to feature in playing XI but has a great chance of representing an IPL franchise.
Prithvi Shaw
Known for setting a record of 546 runs from 330 balls when he played for Rizvi Springfield in a Harris Shield match, this cricket prodigy is a must pick in IPL 11 auction. In his 9 first-class matches so far, Prithvi Shaw has scored 961 runs which include five 100s and three 50s. He is currently leading the Indian U-19 squad for the World Cup to be held from January 13.
Mohit Mongia
Son of one of India’s finest wicket-keepers Nayan Mongia, Mohit grabbed the spotlight after he broke his father’s record in U-19 cricket. On November 14, Mohit broke his father’s record by scoring a sensational 240 off just 246 deliveries against Kerala in the Cooch Behar Trophy. His father, Nayan Mongia previously held the record of highest runs scored (224 runs) by a Baroda U-19 batsmen back in 1988. 18-year-old Mohit, a left-arm spinner and middle-order batsman, is currently leading the Baroda U-19 team. He was first noticed after he scored a blistering 91 runs off 36 balls and bagged six wickets against Vyara in Maharaja Fatesingrao Gaekwad Inter-District U-19 tournament held in June at Billimora.
Param Uppal
Chandigarh born 18-year-old Param Uppal, who was named in the Australian U-19 cricket team for the ICC U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, can also be on the must-pick list of the franchises wanted to bank upon young brigade.
Param, who is making news in Australia for his performance, was one of the three captains to lead Australia against Sri Lanka in the three-match series in Hobart early this year where he also smashed 210 runs, including a century.
Mujeeb Zadran
The 16-year-old sensation from Afghanistan, Mujeeb Zadran is among the promising young cricketers. Born on March 28, 2001, Mujeeb created history with his ODI debut as he became the first millennial to play international cricket. The off-spinner made the match memorable too by taking four wickets against Ireland in the first ODI at Sharjah.
Austin Waugh
Son of former Australian cricket team captain Steve Waugh, Austin first made it to the headlines after he scored an unbeaten 122 from 136 balls in Brisbane while playing for New South Wales Metro against Queensland in Under-17 National Championship in 2016. Earlier this month, he then became the youngest Australia player to score a First-Class century against England.
He is the second youngest in the world to achieve this feat after India’s legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
