IPL Auctions 2018: 5 Under-19 players who might start a bidding war

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The ICC Under-19 World Cup is currently underway in New Zealand and the Indian team has made it to the quarterfinals already.

The Prithvi Shaw-led Indian team comprehensively defeated three-time winners Australia by 100 runs on Sunday and then went on to crush minnows Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets on Tuesday.

India will play their final Group B encounter against Zimbabwe at Mount Maunganui on Friday, January 19.

Over the year, the Under-19 biennial tournament has produced the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and many more, who went on to become the superstars of the game and the 2018 edition is no exception as a lot of young players are already hogging the limelight with their stellar performances.

With IPL 2018 Auctions set to take place in Bengaluru on January 27-28, it is expected that some of these young Indian boys might start a bidding between the eight franchise owners.

Now, let us look at the 5 Under-19 players who might fetch a good price at the upcoming auctions.

#5 Abhishek Sharma

The 17-year-old Abhishek Sharma, who led India Under-19 team to Asia Cup glory in 2016 after beating hosts Sri Lanka in the final, is a resourceful player as he bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox.

The Amritsar boy was the highest wicket-taker in the 2016 edition of the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy and made his debut in the senior Punjab team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2016/2017 season.

The all-rounder is also the first cricketer to bag two prestigious BCCI awards - Raj Singh Dungarpur award for the highest scorer and highest wicket-taker - in the same domestic season.

Sharma, who draws inspiration from legendary Sachin Tendulkar, produced some fireworks with an 8-ball 23-run cameo, which propelled India to 328/7 in their ICC Under-19 World Cup opener against Australia.

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