Nine players from Jammu & Kashmir have been shortlisted for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, 2024, scheduled to be held in Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena on December 19.
For the first time, the auction is taking place overseas with 333 players in the fray.
The nine players belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) includes five bowlers — Manit Singh Jasrotia, Basit Bashir, Waseem Bashir, Mujtaba Yousuf, and Rasikh Salam Dar. The other four are all-rounders — Vivrant Sharma, Nasir Lone, Abid Mushtaq, and Shubham Singh Pundir.
Jasrotia is listed at 303, Basit Bashir at 270, Waseem Bashir at 271, Mujtaba Yousuf (312), and Dar at 58. Among the all-rounders, Vivrant Sharma is listed at number 49, Nasir Lone at 209, Abid Mushtaq at 213, and Pundir at 221 (I take it this is merely a listing & not a ranking).
All nine players have participated in tryouts with IPL teams and are being auctioned for their base price of Rs 20 lakh.
Here are their career stats.
Vivrant Sharma: twenty-four-year-old Sharma, who’s from Jammu district, is a middle-order batter and spinner (added, since we’ve said he’s an all-rounder above), who came into the limelight for his explosive strokeplay in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Sharma was J&K’s highest scorer in the tournament with 395 runs and an average of 56.42. Last year, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) outbid Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and bought Sharma for a whopping Rs. 2.6 crore, the highest bid among uncapped all-rounders. So far he has played three IPL matches and scored 69 runs. He’s also conceded 37 runs but without taking any wickets.
Nasir Lone: a young all-rounder from Bandipora in north Kashmir, Lone was part of the 2021 and 2022 IPL auctions, but remained unsold. The 26-year-old medical graduate made it to the J&K under-19 team in 2014, and represented the state in the 2021 Vijay Hazare trophy. Popularly known as “Nasir Kohli” for his fine and aggressive batting technique, Lone has featured in seven T20 matches, but could only score 11 runs. However, he took two wickets at an average of 21 runs.
Abid Mushtaq: a left-arm spin sensation and hard hitter from J&K’s Bhaderwah area in Doda district, Mushtaq has been a top performer for the state. Last year, he took 32 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, with 8/18 against the formidable Vidarbha team. Due to his consistent top-notch performances, Mushtaq was invited to bowl to the touring Australian team in the nets ahead of their Test series against India in January this year.
Shubham Singh Pundir: born in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, Pundir, this left handed batter and spinner (added, since above we’ve said he’s an all-rounder), has done rather well in the domestic circuit. Pundir made his first-class debut for J&K in 2015 in the Ranji Trophy, and his one-day debut for the state in 2018 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In 2022, Pundir lead the J&K team in the Ranji Trophy. The 25-year-old has featured in 42 domestic (added) T20 matches, and scored 695 runs with a healthy strike rate of 111.73.
Manit Singh Jasrotia: the 20-year-old speedster from Chandwan village in Jammu’s Kathua district, is a fine bowling talent with a short run-up but impressive pace (145 kmph) and variations. The right-arm pacer came into the limelight in 2022 with impressive spells in the under-25 State A Trophy.
Basit Bashir: A resident of Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district, the 20-year-old is a left-arm pacer who has been the net bowler for Punjab Kings. A product of Chennai’s MRF Pace Academy Foundation, Bashir has already played for J&K’s under-16 and under-19 teams. Basit’s elder brother, Faizal Bashir, has also been in the J&K under-23 team. In 2018, former India pacer Irfan Khan, the mentor for JKCA, noticed Basit’s talent and called him for an under-16 trial.
Waseem Bashir: after India managed to find a rare pacer in J&K’s Umran Malik, who can bowl at over 145 kmph, Waseem Bashir has caught the attention of cricket fans. The 23-year-old right-arm pacer has clocked similar speeds, and delivered some lethal spells when he was part of J&K’s under-25 team. Bashir, who was called for IPL trials in 2021 by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), hails from the picturesque Pahalgam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Bashir has been mentored by Pathan during his stint at JKCA, and people in the valley expect him to be picked up in the IPL auctions.
Mujtaba Yousuf: The 21-year-old has been a net bowler for KKR, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The left-arm pacer from Bijbehara town in Kashmir’s Anantnag district is known to have good variations in his arsenal. He made his T20 debut for J&K in the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and made his one-day debut in the 2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has taken 20 wickets in 21 T20 matches, with 3/14 being his best haul.
Rasikh Salam Dar: this right-arm fast bowler has already featured in the IPL for Mumbai Indians (MI) and KKR, and does not need any major introduction. Hailing from the Ashmuji area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, Dar made a comeback to professional cricket last year after serving a two-year ban for furnishing a `faulty’ birth certificate. In 2019, he became the third J&K cricketer to be picked in the IPL. MI bought him at his base price of Rs 20 lakh. In 2022, Dar was sold to KKR at the same price. (what about 2020)
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