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The latest edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy got underway just a few days after the eight existing Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises announced their retention list ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. The 50-over domestic tournament began on Wednesday, December 8 and will conclude with the final on December 26.
A number of players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer, who have been retained by their respective IPL franchises, are part of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In fact, both Gaikwad and Iyer have shone for their respective teams at the start of the tournament itself.
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Representing Maharashtra, Gaikwad smashed 136 against Madhya Pradesh and an unbeaten 154 against Chhattisgarh. On the other hand, Iyer came up with an excellent all-round show for MP against Kerala. He hammered 112 with the willow and then claimed 3 for 55 with his medium pace.
Vijay Hazare Trophy: A chance for players to stake claim ahead of the IPL auction
Apart from the players retained by IPL franchises, the Vijay Hazare Trophy is also featuring players who had disappointing IPL 2021 campaigns. We profile five such cricketers who will be eager to make a strong case for being picked at the mega auction by performing well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
#1 Krunal Pandya
From 2016 to 2019, Krunal Pandya was a key component in the Mumbai Indians (MI) outfit. Along with brother Hardik, he provided excellent balance to the playing XI, chipping in with bat and ball at crucial junctures. However, the all-rounder’s prowess seems to have waned over the last two seasons.
In IPL 2020, Krunal scored 109 runs from 16 games at a strike rate of 118.47. With his left-arm spin, he managed only six wickets at an average of 63.33. The 30-year-old’s numbers were not much better in IPL 2021. He scored 143 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 116.26 and claimed five wickets, averaging 53.
Krunal is representing Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the two matches he has played so far, he has scored 39 and 7 and has claimed a total of three wickets. He will be desperate to improve on his efforts in the coming matches.
#2 Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag is considered among the most talented young batters on the Indian domestic scene. He looks very attractive when he plays his strokes. But consistency and lack of patience have been his bane in a short career.
Despite being given ample opportunities, he hasn’t scored a fifty in the IPL since 2019. Turning out for the Rajasthan Royals, he managed only 86 runs in 12 games at an average of 12.28 and a strike rate of 111.68 in IPL 2020. His numbers in IPL 2021 weren’t any better - 93 runs in 11 games at an average of 11.62. Parag often hit a couple of good shots and then threw his wicket away.
Parag has made a good start to his Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign. Representing Assam, he scored 40 against Goa and 58 against Services. Although the 20-year-old has age on his side, franchises would be seeking better maturity from a talented player like him.
#3 Khaleel Ahmed
With T Natarajan ruled out of IPL 2021 with a knee injury, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) other left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed had a good opportunity to impress as the lead pacer. He was given a few chances as well but turned out to be a disappointment.
Ahmed struggled with his consistency and claimed only five wickets in seven matches at an average of 43.80 and an economy rate of 8.11. Three of Ahmed’s five victims came in one match, which means he hardly picked up any wickets in the remaining games. The 24-year-old has been on the domestic scene for a few years and has, in fact, even played for India in the shorter formats.
Ahmed is representing Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He impressed with figures of 4 for 36 against Punjab. Although he went wicketless against Goa, he conceded only 28 runs in eight overs. Can Ahmed maintain his consistency, though?
#4 Deepak Hooda
Hard-hitting batter Deepak Hooda has some serious talent with the willow. It was very much on display when he bludgeoned 64 off only 28 balls for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2021, a blazing knock which featured four fours and six sixes. However, Hooda he didn’t do much in the edition otherwise.
The 26-year-old ended IPL 2021 with unsatisfactory numbers - 160 runs in 12 matches at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 130.08. Hooda’s numbers were similar in IPL 2020, during which he scored 101 runs in seven matches with a best of 62 not out. While the potential is evident, Hooda hasn’t been able to translate it into worthy performances.
In Rajasthan’s first two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he has registered scores of 24 and 18. Being the captain of the side, Hooda is expected to come up with better efforts in the upcoming matches.
#5 Abhishek Sharma
21-year-old Abhishek Sharma is a promising batter who can bowl some decent leg-spin. In a fragile SRH batting line-up, Sharma was given ample chances to make a mark. He was even promoted to the top of the order but failed to grab his opportunities.
Sharma demonstrated his talent with some impressive strokes but the conversation from good start to substantial knock did not happen. In the end, Sharma only managed to score 98 runs in eight matches at a poor average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 130.66. He did better with his left-arm spin, claiming four wickets at an economy rate of 6.40. Overall, though, he had a forgettable IPL season.
The youngster has failed to make an impression in the first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Punjab. Opening the innings, he scored 22 against Rajasthan and 9 against Railways. Sharma will need to do much more in the upcoming games to attract the attention of IPL franchises at the auction.
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