5 India U-19 players who could be in demand at IPL 2022 Auction
The final players list for the IPL 2022 Auction was released on Tuesday, and unsurprisingly, it had a fair number of names from the Indian squad taking part in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup.
Initially, 1,214 players had registered for the auction, but the IPL trimmed the player pool down to 590 names after consulting with the 10 franchises.
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🚨 NEWS 🚨: IPL 2022 Player Auction list announced
The Player Auction list is out with a total of 590 cricketers set to go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction which will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13, 2022.
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The IPL 2022 Auction will take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
The IPL auctions have often seen players from the Indian U-19 teams fast-tracked to rubbing shoulders with the big boys, and this happens the most in U-19 World Cup years.
The last two editions of the U-19 World Cup saw the likes of Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Ravi Bishnoi and Yashaswi Jaiswal shoot to fame in the cash-rich T20 league and the IPL 2022 Auction will provide a great opportunity to the current batch of Indian youngsters.
India are doing well in the current edition, having beaten defending champions Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and are lined up to face Australia in the semis today.
The team was also hit with a number of COVID-19 cases that saw five players, including captain Yash Dhull and his deputy Shaik Rasheed, miss a big chunk of the group stages. But India did well to qualify for the knockouts undefeated.
The players returned to the squad for the match against Bangladesh, where pacer Ravi Kumar's opening spell blew them away and India comfortably chased down the target, despite a late flurry of wickets.
All Over: Sealed with a SIX
India U19 have advanced to the semi-final of #U19CWC with a 5-wicket win over Bangladesh U19 in Antigua!
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Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Raj Angad Bawa, Harnoor Singh, Kaushal Tambe, Aneeshwar Gautam and Vasu Vats are the players from India U-19's World Cup squad who are in the final list for the IPL 2022 Auction. Pushpendra Singh Rathore, meanwhile, has also made the cut from the reserves.
Several franchises will want to snap up some of these young talents when they go under the hammer.
On that note, here are five players from the Indian U-19 who will be in demand at the IPL 2022 Auction:
#1 Yash Dhull
Delhi lad and the captain of the Indian U-19 team, Yash Dhull, is sure to be among the young players who will be in demand at the IPL 2022 Auction.
A classy right-handed batter, Dhull's technique is compact and his strokeplay, easy on the eye.
He has just played two matches at the U-19 World Cup, having contracted COVID-19 during the tournament. However, he played a key role in both.
In India's first match against a tough South African team, Dhull played a brilliant 82-run knock off 100 deliveries as India won by 45 runs.
Then in the quarters against Bangladesh, he came out to bat with India needing 42 runs to win. He stayed unbeaten on 20, even as he saw three wickets fall around him, to guide the team home.
He looks assured at the crease and is set to have a big future ahead of him.
#2 Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Rajvardhan Hangargekar came into the limelight at the Under-19 World Cup, thanks to his raw pace and ability to hit the deck hard.
In eight youth ODIs, he has taken 10 wickets, five of which have come in the World Cup, making him India's second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
Tall and strong, he is especially deadly with the new ball. With his pace, he can also act as an enforcer in the middle overs.
Another factor that would make him a good pick at the IPL 2022 Auction is his ability to hit big shots.
By the admission of his own India U-19 teammates, he is the best six-hitter in the squad. Hangargekar showed off his skills in the group stage match against Ireland, when he hit an unbeaten 39 off just 17 deliveries, with his knock including five sixes and a boundary.
#3 Vicky Ostwal
A young and upcoming left-arm spinner, Vicky Ostwal is India's highest wicket-taker at the U-19 World Cup with nine scalps to his name.
His five-wicket haul helped derail South Africa in India's first match of the tournament, as they defended a total of 232.
He was also impressive in the quarter-finals against Bangladesh, picking up two wickets.
He was also adjudged the Player of the Match in the U-19 Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka after returning with figures of 3/11 as India restricted their opponents to 106/9 in 38 overs in a rain-curtailed match.
#4 Raj Angad Bawa
Raj Angad Bawa is set to be hot property at the IPL 2022 Auction as a fast-bowling all-rounder who can take wickets at regular intervals in addition to playing hit big shots.
Bawa hails from a sporting family. While his grandfather, Tarlochan Bawa, was part of India's gold medal-winning hockey team at the 1984 Olympics, his father was a coach who trained Yuvraj Singh among others.
Bawa's brilliant four-wicket haul, which included the prized scalp of Dewald Brevis, against South Africa U-19 changed the momentum in India's favor.
Against Uganda U-19, with several key players missing, he blitzed 162 off 108 deliveries with 14 boundaries and eight sixes. In the process, he set the record for the highest score by an Indian in U-19 World Cup history, breaking the record of another left-hander who went on to become one of the biggest stars in world cricket - Shikhar Dhawan.
#5 Harnoor Singh
Harnoor Singh had all eyes on him entering the Under-19 World Cup, having won the Player of the Series in the U-19 Asia Cup.
However, he has failed to really fire in the tournament, apart from his knock of 88 against Ireland.
But he did score an unbeaten 100 against Australia in a practice match ahead of the U-19 World Cup, besides his good performances in the Asia Cup.
As a young left-handed Indian opener, he will surely be a wanted commodity at the IPL 2022 Auction.