Samit Dravid enters franchise cricket, Chethan tops Maharaja Trophy auction

Bengaluru, July 25 (UNI) The Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 auction, held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, saw the promising 18-year-old Samit Dravid, son of cricket legend Rahul Dravid, making his foray into franchise cricket. The Mysuru Warriors secured the young pacer for 0.5 Lakhs, marking a significant moment in the auction.

Chethan LR emerged as the most expensive player, joining the Bengaluru Blasters with a top bid of 8.2 Lakhs. From a pool of 240 players, other significant acquisitions included Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham, and J Suchith.

In Category A, which features Indian and IPL players, Shreyas Gopal’s versatile skills were highly valued by the Mangaluru Dragons, fetching 7.6 Lakhs. The Mysuru Warriors made notable acquisitions with experienced all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham for 7.4 Lakhs, southpaw all-rounder J Suchith for 4.8 Lakhs, and pacer Prasidh Krishna for 1 Lakh. The Hubli Tigers secured crafty leg-spinner KC Cariappa for 4.2 Lakhs, and Praveen Dubey went to the Gulbarga Mystics for 6.8 Lakhs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sharath BR, still recovering, was also snapped up by the Gulbarga Mystics for 1 Lakh.

In Category B, Chethan LR was the star, commanding 8.2 Lakhs from the Bengaluru Blasters. Luvnith Sisodia, one of last season’s top scorers, was acquired by the Gulbarga Mystics for 7.2 Lakhs, boosting a batting lineup that includes Devdutt Padikkal. Explosive batsman Mohd. Taha returned to the Hubli Tigers for 6.6 Lakhs, and the 23-year-old speedster Vidyadhar Patil was in high demand, eventually secured by the Mysuru Warriors for 6.4 Lakhs.

In Category C, Goutham Mishra joined the Mysuru Warriors for 2 Lakhs, while prolific batsman Smaran R returned to the Gulbarga Mystics for 3.15 Lakhs. Bowling all-rounder Avinash D was a significant acquisition for the Shivamogga Lions at 5.4 Lakhs, along with Rajvir Wadhwa for 2.2 Lakhs. The Gulbarga Mystics also added pacer Monish Reddy and all-rounder Yashovardhan Parantap for 1.8 Lakhs each. Additionally, the Hubli Tigers bought Thippa Reddy for 3.4 Lakhs and Karthikeya KP for 1.2 Lakhs.

In Category D, left-arm pacer Lavish Kaushal was the most notable acquisition, joining the Bengaluru Blasters for 6.2 Lakhs. The Shivamogga Lions were aggressive in this category, securing players including Aditya Mani for 1 Lakh, and Bharath Dhuri, Aadithya Vishwa Karma, and Rohan Naveen for 0.25 Lakhs each. The Hubli Tigers acquired Shreesha S Acahar for 2.3 Lakhs. The Gulbarga Mystics’ largest buy in Category D was Nathan Dmello Joachim at 0.6 Lakhs, while Deepak Devadiga was picked up by the Mysuru Warriors for 0.65 Lakhs.

Reflecting on Chethan LR’s acquisition, Bengaluru Blasters’ Captain Mayank Agarwal stated, “We are thrilled to have Chethan LR with us. He was a treasured find for the Bengaluru Blasters during the first season of the Maharaja Trophy, and I look forward to playing with him this season.”

The third edition of the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 is set to begin on August 15th, with broadcasts on Star Sports 2, Star Sports Kannada, and streams on FanCode.

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