Lucknow: To those in the know, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings decision to pay ₹8.4 crore for Uttar Pradesh’s batter Sameer Rizvi at the IPL 2024 auction wasn’t a surprise. He had made his mark in the UPTwenty20 League and it was all the bait that the IPL teams needed.

Even though his base price was ₹20 lakhs, both CSK and Gujarat Titans were engaged in a bidding war before Delhi Capitals joined in as well. GT pulled out at ₹7.6 crore when DC decided to mix things up, but CSK had the last laugh.

The upcoming IPL Mega Auction in December for the 2025 edition of the cash-rich league promises to be particularly riveting again, especially with the emergence of Swastik Chikara. At just 19, Chikara has not just made his presence felt in a strong manner but has set the cricketing world abuzz with his performances in the second edition of the UPT20 League.

If Chikara and Rizvi emerged as top batters in the state league, leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari excelled with the ball, bagging 24 wickets including a five-wicket haul at 13.29, and is expected to be on the radar of many IPL franchises. He was followed by another spinner Vipraj Nigam, who finished with 20 wickets, including a five-wicket haul.

Former Team India pacers Munaf Patel as well as RP Singh and few other scouts were there to shortlist the possible talent for the upcoming auction, and they must have been attracted by the manner in which both Chikara and Rizvi peppered the 73-yard boundaries of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana international Cricket Stadium here.

Chikara’s form helped him score 499 runs (which included 47 sixes) and win the Orange Cap. One might even say he redefined power hitting. His ability to clear the ropes at will make him a must-have for teams looking for explosive top-order batsmen.

This wasn’t all as Chikara’s all-around impact on the game helped him win the ‘Most Valuable Player of the Tournament’ award. His contribution with both bat and in the field, coupled with his leadership qualities as evidenced by leading his team Meerut Mavericks to the trophy, underline his value as not just a player but a potential game-changer.

“I have never seen such a hard hitter of the ball. He enjoys big hitting, and I find him capable enough to overpower all types of bowling attack in all parts of the ground,” ex-UP Ranji cricketer and head coach of Meerut Mavericks, Utkarsh Chandra said.

“The way he batted this season is phenomenal, and I am sure that there would be a rush among the franchise to have him for the new IPL season,” said Chandra, adding, “I have been seeing him since his under-16 days as a junior selector and i can say that he is best in the country now.”

The 21-year-old Rizvi, who had 455 runs in the 2023 season, has another good season – scoring 469 runs at a strike rate of 152.77 with the help of 31 boundaries and 32 sixes.

The 24-year-old Zeeshan’s brilliant bowling earned him the Purple Cap, and even though he was ignored by the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, the son of a lady tailor at IT crossing of the city, found a way to seize the moment.

After playing in his debut first-class match against Railways in 2017, could get to play just six matches, including a T20 game in 2019, even after taking 17 wickets at an economy of 3.65.

In the UPT20 League, 24-year-old Ansari didn’t allow batters to free their arms and enjoyed the backing of Team India batter Rinku Singh, who captained champions Meerut Mavericks to top the league table before leaving for the Duleep Trophy second-round match.

“He is a lion-hearted cricketer, who didn’t mind bowling at half volley as he showed tremendous control on speed and turn, which kept almost all the batters guessing throughout the tournament,” said coach Chandra.

TOP PERFORMERS

Batters: Swastik Chikara (499 runs), Sameer Rizvi (469), Madhav Kushik (366), Adarsh Singh (308), Akshdeep Nath (289), Samarth Singh (284), Priyam Garg (283), Aryan Juyal (216), Shoaib Siddiqui (210).

Bowlers; Zeeshan Ansari (24 wkts), Vipraj Nigam (20), Sunil Kumar (19), Yash Garg (17), Mohsin khan (15), Abhinandan Singh (15), Ankit Rajpoot (15), Vineet Panwar (13), Shivam Sharma (12) and Mukesh Kumar (12).

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