3 uncapped Indians with ₹20 lakh base price who were sold for more than ₹1 crore at the IPL 2023 auction

Every year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) sees a number of young and upcoming Indian players as well as some experienced domestic cricketers bagging impressive deals. A lot of these players come from humble backgrounds and their tales of struggles en route to making it to the IPL are quite inspiring.

If we trace the history of the T20 league, Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah’s name stands out. His raw talent was spotted by the Mumbai Indians (MI), with the pacer making his debut in IPL 2013. The rest is history. All-rounder Hardik Pandya also progressed to international cricket after impressing in the IPL.

Looking at slightly older players, Tamil Nadu left-arm pacer T Natarajan ended up making a famous debut for India at the age of 29 during India’s tour of Australia in 2020-21. He was given the opportunity after doing well for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL.

This year as well, a number of uncapped Indian players have been picked up by franchises at the IPL 2023 auction.

We look at three Indian uncapped cricketers with a base price of ₹20 lakh who ended up being bought for more than ₹1 crore.

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#1 Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar (R) with DC captain Rishabh Pant (Pic: Mukesh Instagram)

The son of a cab driver, Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar was purchased by Delhi Capitals (DC) at the IPL 2023 auction for ₹5.5 crore. His father found it difficult to make ends meet after shifting base to Kolkata from Bihar. However, the pacer’s hard grind in domestic cricket finally seems to be paying off.

Having made his domestic debut in 2015, Kumar is a reasonably experienced campaigner. The 29-year-old has played 33 first-class matches, claiming 123 wickets at an average of 21.49.

In the T20s, he has 25 scalps in 23 games at an average of 23.68 and an impressive economy of 7.20. Kumar also claimed a six-wicket haul for India A against Bangladesh A in the second unofficial Test in Sylhet.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda after being picked up by DC at the auction, Kumar said:

"For a moment, I checked whether it was really my name that was flashing on the screen. I spoke to my family again once I was sold to Delhi and they were very happy. My mother was very emotional.”

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#2 Vivrant Sharma

Young J&K cricketer Vivrant Sharma. Pic: Twitter

A 23-year-old left-handed batter from Jammu and Kashmir, Vivrant Sharma was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹2.6 crore at the IPL 2023 auction. Vivrant grabbed some attention when he scored 128 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 145.45 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition.

In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the batter scored 395 runs in eight innings at an average of 56.42 and a strike rate of 94.72. He also picked up five wickets with his leg spin bowling.

Like Kumar, there’s an emotional twist in Sharma’s story as well. His elder brother Vikrant also wanted to become a cricketer. He, however, had to give up the ambition to look after the family's chemical business following the death of their father in 2020.

After bagging his IPL deal, Vivrant thanked his brother and told ESPNcricinfo:

"My cricket would have come to a halt but Vikrant ensured that it continued non-stop as he took over the family business and started living his dreams through me. It's all because of my brother's sacrifice. I would not have been here otherwise."

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#3 Mayank Dagar

Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Mayank Dagar.

Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Mayank Dagar was purchased by SRH at the IPL 2023 auction for ₹1.8 crore. A right-handed batter who can also bowl left-arm spin, Dagar has produced impressive numbers in domestic cricket. He has 87 wickets in 29 first-class matches and has also scored 732 runs, including three half-centuries.

In the T20s, the 26-year-old has claimed 44 scalps in as many matches at an average of 21.70 and an excellent economy rate of 6.17. He hasn’t had much to do with the bat so far in the format.

Dagar was part of the Himachal Pradesh team that finished runners-up in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022-23. He claimed 12 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 5.22. Dagar scored an impressive 92 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Gujarat, batting at No. 7.

A relative of Virender Sehwag, the all-rounder was earlier picked up by the Punjab Kings at the 2018 IPL auction.

He made the news the same year after beating Virat Kohli’s score in a Yo-Yo fitness test.

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