Young & loaded

GenNext cricketers make splash at IPL auction! Ishan Kishan hits Rs 15.25cr jackpot as MI go all out to keep him...Chennai splurge Rs 14cr to get Deepak Chahar again...Mumbai boys Iyer (KKR, Rs 12.25cr), Thakur (DC, Rs 10.75cr) among big buys

Young & loaded

Deepak Chahar, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer

India's wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, 23, has figured in only three ODIs and five T20I games, but the left-hander emerged the most expensive buy on Day One of the IPL auction in Bangalore on Saturday.

Mumbai Indians’ [MI] think-tank didn’t bid for any player initially but got into the act when it came to Kishan and beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in getting the 2016 India U-19 World Cup captain for Rs 15.25cr.

Kishan’s coach Uttam Mazumdar, who has been guiding the southpaw for the last 17 years, was not surprised with the kind of money his ward attracted. “It’s fantastic. This is much better than the last time [when Kishan got R6.25cr in the 2018 auction]. I can’t describe my feelings in words,” Mazumdar told Sunday mid-day from Noida.

Kishan was just five in 2002, when his father Pranav Kumar took him to the Mazumdar Cricket Academy at Patna and when the coach shifted base to Noida, the young gun accompanied his coach. When asked about the huge attention his ward got at the IPL auction in Bangalore, Mazumdar said: “I am not surprised at all. He absolutely deserved it because of the way he performed for MI for the last three years and even for Team India. After all, he scored fifties on his T20I and ODI debut. He has performed regularly, so we expected a good price for such a dynamic cricketer.”

‘Excited to be back’

Kishan, who has scored 1,452 in 61 IPL games, is excited to play with Rohit Sharma & Co again. “I’m really excited to be back at MI. I know everyone has treated me there like family, so I am really happy to be there and I hope to give my best to the team. Thank you so much,” Kishan said on social media.

However, Mazumdar remarked: “Kishan’s main motto is to play well and serve the country. He is very down to earth, kind and loyal. He never thinks about that money; always about the nation. I always try to keep him in a positive frame of mind and say that this [money] is not a big part of your life.”

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings retained their star all-rounder Deepak Chahar, 29, (Rs 14cr).

KKR get Iyer, Thakur to DC

Shreyas Iyer, 27, also clinched a staggering deal—Rs 12.25cr from Kolkata Knight Riders.

Shardul Thakur, 30, will now be playing for Delhi Capitals (Rs 10.75cr) after stretching every sinew for Chennai Super Kings last season.

India seamer Harshal Patel who was IPL’s top wicket-taker last year, enjoyed a fantastic auction as Royal Challengers Bangalore retained him for Rs 10.75cr.

India opener Shikhar Dhawan was bought for Rs 8.25cr by Punjab Kings and pacer Mohd Shami went for Rs 6.25cr to Gujarat Titans.

R Ashwin was sold for Rs 5cr to Rajasthan Royals. Left-handed big-hitter Devdutt Padikkal, 21, was bought by RR for Rs 7.75cr.

With inputs from agencies