Rahul Dravid's Son Samit Remains Unsold As Devdutt Padikkal Becomes Top Purchase in Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 Auction

In the fourth season of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 auction one of the biggest surprises was the name absent from the final list of sold players. Samit Dravid son of India cricket legend Rahul Dravid was among Category C that comprised the junior state players but failed to be selected by any side. Although his being unsold attracted notice the lime light was firmly focused on Devdutt Padikkal who became the costliest signing of the day. He was purchased by the Hubli Tigers for a huge amount of 13.20 lakh becoming the marquee name of the auction.

Hubli Tigers had the largest purse and they ensured that they spent it wisely. Besides Padikkal they also picked up Abhinav Manohar for 12.20 lakh. They continued strengthening their team by signing experienced batter Mohammad Taha for 4.60 lakh and young pace bowler Samarth Nagaraj for 3.20 lakh. The team evidently made a conscious decision to balance youth with experience while spending wisely on both batsmen and bowlers.

Mysuru Warriors also went big in the auction. They were keen on all-rounders and picked up the likes of K Gowtham for 4.40 lakh and Yashovardhan Parantap for 2.00 lakh. Warriors bolstered their bowling unit by recruiting Kumar LR for 1.50 lakh who was last season's joint highest wicket-taker. They also selected left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty for 4.70 lakh and pacer Venkatesh M for 2.00 lakh. Wicketkeeper-batter Harshil Dharmani was included for 3.20 lakh indicating their willingness to form a balanced team.

On the other hand, the Bengaluru Blasters began at a slow pace and did not make any buy during Category A. However, they gained momentum as the auction continued. Their biggest move was the recruitment of Chethan LR for 5.10 lakh who had been the most expensive player in the last season. Their bowling department got strengthened with the addition of Vidyadhar Patil for 8.30 lakh a bowler who is bound to be an important cog. They also signed Rohan Naveen for 4.25 lakh and introduced promising youngsters such as Madhav Prakash Bajaj a 16-year-old signed for 3.15 lakh. The team placed their trust in a combination of seasoned campaigners and up-and-coming stars.

Gulbarga Mystics acted wisely in the auction. They acquired wicketkeeper-batter KV Siddharth for 6.10 lakh and right-arm pacer Monish Reddy for 4.65 lakh to bolster their bowling attack. Their most intense bidding was in the second half of the auction when they acquired last season's top wicket-getter Lavish Kaushal for 7.75 lakh. They also acquired Nikin Jose for 1.00 lakh and made sure that their squad had good options in departments.

Shivamogga Lions indicated their intentions early by shelling out 10.80 lakh on Vidwath Kaverappa one of the better fast bowlers going around. They splurged some more on Aneeshwar Gautam a talented young all-rounder who had cost them 8.20 lakh. The team brought depth to their ranks with Anirudha Joshi for 3.60 lakh and leg-spinner Deepak Devadiga for 1.20 lakh. Their approach appeared to be youth and flexibility to provide them with greater balance.

Mangaluru Dragons were among the most aggressive teams right from the start. They went hard for Shreyas Gopal by shelling out 8.60 lakh for the veteran spinner. Melu Kranthi Kumar was the other big buy at 5.60 lakh while veteran pacer Ronit More cost them 3.40 lakh. The franchise also signed Abhishek Prabhakar for 3.07 lakh and Sharath BR for 2.20 lakh to develop batting and bowling strength. They brought in Shivraj S for 6.55 lakh and also acquired wicketkeeper Adarsh Prajwal for 3.25 lakh indicating that they would like to have strong depth in the playing eleven.

All the six teams of the tournament constructed teams with a combination of retained players and new signings. For example, Mysuru Warriors retained Karun Nair Karthik CA and Prasidh Krishna while Bengaluru Blasters retained important names such as Mayank Agarwal Shubhang Hegde and Suraj Ahuja. Gulbarga Mystics retained Vyshak V Luvnith Sisodia and Pravin Dubey. The auction permitted teams to restructure the line-ups while retaining the core group.

The auction was held in a way that it kept players divided into three categories based on performance and experience. Category A was for the best domestic as well as experienced players Category B was for regular state-level players and Category C was for young emerging state-level players Unfortunately Samit Dravid who belonged to Category C did not find any bidder. Even though he was the son of a cricketing legend his name was not included in the final list of chosen players.

Overall the KSCA T20 auction was dominated by excitement and strategic bidding. Franchises such as Hubli Tigers Mysuru Warriors and Mangaluru Dragons were especially aggressive in bolstering their teams while other franchises such as Gulbarga Mystics and Shivamogga Lions were going after specific players to strengthen their team's weaknesses. Focus on all-rounders bowlers and young guns indicated that franchises were planning ahead and laying the foundation for the future.

The auction also brought forth how competitive the Karnataka domestic circuit has become. Youngsters are gaining recognition and still veteran names have a lot of worth. With each team having a chance to make two more signings from their home areas finally the squads will be even more evenly balanced by the time the tournament takes place. Fans are in for a thrilling season of T20 cricket as these rejuvenated teams clash with each other in the next installment of the Maharaja Trophy.