IPL Auction 2022: Franchises cautious while going for U-19 stars; uncapped players strike it big

Cricket is a lot about timing and the Under-19 cricket team got it just right by lifting the World Cup before IPL's mega-auction. But did that translate into big bucks for the stars of that triumph? At the end of two days of bidding wars, it seems the franchises chose to tread on the side of caution when it came to loosening the purse strings for the newest batch of young talent in Indian cricket.

While some uncapped, but proven performers like Avesh Khan, were laughing all their way to the bank with bids as high as Rs 10 crore, only a few of the Under-19 stars, skipper Yash Dhull included, managed to land deals with IPL teams in the two-day mega auction held in Bengaluru. IPL AUCTION: AS IT HAPPENEDDhull, a product of the academy run by Delhi Capitals and top-scorer of the U-19 World Cup, was picked up for Rs 50 lakh by the franchise that groomed him.

Exciting all-rounder Raj Bawa won a Rs 2 crore bid from Punjab Kings, while Rajvardhan Hangargekar (with a base price Rs 30 lakh) was roped in by four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings for Rs 1.50 crore. Dhull's teammate Vicky Ostwal was snapped up by Delhi Capitals later in the auction at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.

Hangargekar, the new entrant into the CSK stable, will hope to learn tricks of the trade from the legendary MS Dhoni, skipper of the four-time champion franchise. The talented Maharashtra all-rounder is known for the ability to bowl yorkers at will, not so easy at any level, and can only get better by rubbing shoulders with Dhoni and the other big names at Super Kings.

It must be said that the various IPL teams seemed to be cautious while bidding for the under-19 players and did not appear ready to splurge. Bawa, who is rated highly for his all-round