5 members of India's U-19 World Cup-winning team who will attract bids at 2022 IPL auction
Yash Dhull-led India defeated England in the final of the U-19 Cricket World Cup in Antigua on Saturday to be crowned champions for a record fifth time. The Boys in Blue remained undefeated in the edition.
Almost everyone who played contributed in what was a spectacular team effort. While batters like Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Dhull and Shaik Rasheed were impressive, Ravi Kumar and Vicky Ostwal gave top-notch performances with the ball. Highlights of the campaign included all-rounders Raj Bawa, Nishant Sindhu and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Deservingly, these youngsters will be sought after at the 2022 IPL auction to be held in Bengaluru this weekend.
We take a look at five players who will attract bids from the franchises.
#1 Raj Bawa
Raj Bawa could potentially be the next big thing in Indian cricket. The pace-bowling all-rounder scored a brilliant 162* in 108 balls against Uganda. Bawa stepped up on the day of the final with bowling figures of 5/31 followed by a crucial 35 runs to be adjudged Player of the match. IPL franchises will be looking to grab him at the auction.
#2 Ravi Kumar
The left-arm pacer from Bengal was fast-tracked in the U-19 squad and subsequently in the playing XI. Ravi was brilliant in the knockout matches and finished the tournament with 10 wickets. He was Player of the match in the quarterfinals against Bangladesh and produced a superb spell in the final, taking four wickets. IPL franchises will keep an eye out for him.
#3 Vicky Ostwal
The left-arm spinner picked up 12 wickets in six matches, including a five-wicket haul against pre-tournament favorites South Africa. He is more than handy with the bat and can grab a good IPL deal from teams looking to have a domestic spinner in the squad.
#4 Dinesh Bana
He wasn't the first-choice wicketkeeper ahead of the World Cup and came into the reckoning after thumping a 98-ball 170, with 10 fours and 14 sixes, in a Challenger Trophy game. Bana showed no sign of nerves when he clobbered 20 runs in just four balls to close out the innings in the semifinals against Australia. In the final he walked in to bat when the chase got a bit tricky, but proceeded to finish the game with two big sixes.
#5 Yash Dhull
The India U-19 skipper had a great tournament individually as well. In four matches, he scored 229 runs and got the team out of tricky situations during knockout games. Dhull had to miss a couple of early matches due to COVID-19, but came back strong. He possesses sound technique and played some eye-catching shots. He will be a hot pick among the junior lot at the IPL auction.