The IPL 2019 Auction got done and dusted a few days back. One of the major takeaways of the auction was the trend of being inclined towards young uncapped players. Indian youngsters had a superb outing in Jaipur on December 18 with teams vouching for talent rather than big names. The focus will be on the future after heavy investment on these young names.
There were many surprises for us as fans of the IPL. Royal Challengers Bangalore led the way as they bought a 16-year-old and the youngest of all, Prayas Ray Barman. Kings XI Punjab played a solid hand as well in getting young guns and spending heavily on them.
Besides these Indian players, several West Indies youngsters too got mega bucks.
351 players were up for grabs in the IPL 2019 Auction. 70 slots were available across the eight teams. In the end, only 60 slots got filled. Prior to that, we had the IPL trade window back in November 2018. Most players were retained with the core in focus. Several players were released by franchises with a few being traded.
Here are the youngest players bought in the IPL 2019 Auction.
Prayas Ray Barman – RCB
At 16 years and 55 days, Prayas Ray Barman, who hails form Bengal, became the youngest player to be snapped up in the auction for Rs 1.5 crore. He was bought 7.5 times higher than his base price of Rs 20 lakh. This was indeed a huge move from RCB.
Born in West Bengalâs Durgapur, Prayas is a right-arm leg-break bowler. He was brought up in the capital city of India, where his father is working as a general physician.
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As per reports, his cricketing journey began at the Ram Pal Cricket Academy in South Delhiâs Gargi College. He was picked for Bengal U-16 team after earning a name in the Ambar Roy Sub-Junior U-14 cricket tournament.
The player shifted his base to Kolkata, where he lived with his grandparents. He bowls decent leg-spin and is handful with the bat as well. In 9 List A matches, Barman has picked 11 wickets. Barman made his List A debut for Bengal in Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Prabh Simran Singh- KXIP
Punjab’s wicket keeper batsman Prabh Simran at the age of just 18 years and 131 days was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 4.80 crore. He had a base price of Rs 20 lakh.
The Punjab batsman was part of the Indian side that finished second in the recently concluded ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka.
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The Punjab batsman idolises the legendary Virender Sehwag. The attacking batsman managed 298 runs for his side in the Under-23 tournament. In the Cooch Behar trophy in 2017-18 season, Singh scored 547 runs for Punjab. He went on to smash three centuries.
The player also smashed his way to 298 off just 301 balls against Amritsar in the semi-final of the Punjab U-23 Inter-District Cricket Tournament. He is yet to play a first-class match. Singh has been making waves with his ability to score rapidly and that is what has got him a big money contract with KXIP.
Other Indian young guns bought in the auction
At 20 years and 76 days, Vidarbha medium-pacer Darshan Nalkande got a deal with KXIP. He is also pretty decent with the bat. In three List A matches, the pacer has gone on to claim eight wickets. He has also been part of Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy team.
Besides Nalkande, KXIP also went on to buy 23-year-old Harpreet Brar, who is yet to play competitive cricket. It remains to be seen how does the young all-rounder makes his presence felt when called upon.
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Meanwhile, at 23 years and 187 days, Agnivesh Ayachi was another surprising purchase by the northern side of the cash-rich T20 league. KXIP bought these two players at their base prices.
Other rising talents that found takers on December 18 were, Prithvi Raj (Kolkata Knight Riders), Rasikh Salam (Mumbai Indians) and Shubham Ranjane (Rajasthan Royals).
A major reason on why these players got deals was largely due to talent scouts of IPL teams.
Shimron Hetmyer – RCB
The West Indies batsman has earned a solid reputation as one of the finest hitters of the cricket ball. He was an instant hit in the ODI series against India this year. The player can hit the big shots and the sub-continent pitches suits his style.
He has been the most consistent West Indian player in Test cricket in recent times. The player showed enough character in India in the ODIs where he smashed a century and a knock of 94. In the Tests against Bangladesh, WI might have lost, but Hetmyer drew praise for his brilliance.
The promising batsman will be adding gloss to RCBâs middle order. They needed someone to clam the ship in the middle overs and get those lusty blows when needed. Hetmyer promises both.
Other WI youngsters had a sound auction as well
West Indian cricketers had a sound IPL 2019 Auction. Several youngsters were a hit and teams went the distance to get them. At 21 years and 304 days, Oshane Thomas was picked by Rajasthan Royals. The pacer was seen bowling during the T20I series against India earlier this year.
He was superb with his raw energy and got key wickets. One thing that franchises noticed was Oshane constantly clocking around 150 kmh. Oshane took 18 wickets in 10 matches during the 2018 Caribbean Premier League as well. He could be a handy option for the Royals.
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23-year-old Nicholas Pooran was roped in by KXIP for a staggering Rs 4.2 crore. The player like Oshane showed his prowess in the T20Is. Though he didnât live up to his promise in the early phase of his career,  the player has started hitting his straps more consistently now.
Delhi Capitals bought 20-year-old Keemo Paul. Delhi can count themselves as securing a bargain, who has the ingredients to produce match- winning performances. Another 20-year-old Sherfane Rutherford joined DC for Rs 2 crore.
Along with RCB’s 21-year-old Shimron Hetmyer, the duo are all countrymen who progressed through the ranks together from Under-15 cricket.Paul and Rutherford are crucial all-round options for DC. They can have a prime say from the bench and deliver when called upon to provide some heroics.