IPL 2020: 5 Indian players who were picked at the auction and will feature in the U-19 World Cup

The 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup will be held in South Africa from January 17 to February 9. While this year’s edition will be the 13th U-19 World Cup, it will be the second one to be held in South Africa.

A total of 16 teams are taking part in the event, and they have been divided into four groups of four each. India are the defending champions in the event. Led by Prithvi Shaw, they won the 2018 event in New Zealand by beating Australia in the final, with Manjot Kalra scoring an unbeaten century.

India are also the most successful team in the tournament, having won the crown four times. Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, and Unmukt Chand are the other captains to have led India to wins in the event.

Five players taking part in this year’s U-19 World Cup have also been chosen by franchises at the IPL 2020 auction. Here’s a look.

#5. Akash Singh

Akash Singh

A left-arm medium-pace bowler, Akash Singh has been picked up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 20 lakh. Singh has played only one T20 game so far, making his debut for Rajasthan against Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Singh finished with impressive figures of 2 for 26 in his four overs, getting the big wickets of Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik. Rajasthan, however, lost the game by 39 runs.

Also see – U19 world cup schedule

A couple of years back, Akash had registered stunning figures of 10 for 0 in an open tournament in Jaipur. Akash has represented the India U-19 team in the 2019 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup as well as the U-19 Challenger Cup.

#4. Kartik Tyagi

Kartik Tyagi

The fast bowler, who will lead the Indian attack at the U-19 World Cup, Kartik Tyagi has been bought by Rajasthan Royals for an impressive Rs 1.3 crore. The 19-year-old made his Ranji Trophy debut for Uttar Pradesh against Railways in 2017. Kartik did a decent job with 1 for 25 and 2 for 15. Railways, however, won the game by 21 runs.

Tyagi got the nod to feature in the Ranji Trophy at 17 after an impressive performance in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, where he played a key role in UP's victory against defending champions Vidarbha. In the youth ODI series in England last year, he claimed nine wickets in five games. Tyagi also picked up six wickets in three games in the Under-19 series against Afghanistan in Lucknow.

#3. Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi

A promising leg-spinner, Ravi Bishnoi has been purchased by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 2 crore. He has picked up 12 wickets in seven youth one-dayers at an economy rate of under 4.5. He is making a name for himself with his ability to turn the ball big, and also his impressive googly.

In five Vijay Hazare Trophy games for Rajasthan, he picked up seven wickets and had best figures of three for 49 runs. After six List A cricket matches, he has eight wickets to his name at an economy rate of 5.63. With the bat, he scored 22 in the semi-final clash of the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Tamil Nadu.

In the recent youth ODIs in South Africa, he has returned with impressive figures of 3 for 36, 2 for 20, and 2 for 29. This should give him a lot of boost for the upcoming U-19 World Cup.

#2. Priyam Garg

Priyam Garg

A highly capable batsman, Priyam Garg, who will be captaining the Indian U-19 team at the World Cup in South Africa, was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 1.9 crore. The right-handed batsman smashed a century on Ranji Trophy debut for Uttar Pradesh against Goa in November 2018.

Garg ended up accumulating over 800 runs in his maiden first-class season. In fact, in December 2018, he also brought up his maiden double hundred, scoring 206 against Tripura. After 12 first-class games, he averages nearly 67. Further, Garg has an average of 47.13 after 19 List A games with two hundreds to his credit

In the youth ODIs in South Africa, he has already notched up scores of 52 and 110. He has a tough act to follow though as he looks to emulate the likes of Kohli, Shaw and Kaif.

#1. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal

One of the brightest young Indian stars on the horizon, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who recently turned 18, has been snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 2.4 crore. It is common knowledge now that Jaiswal, whose first name actually means success, is the youngest batsman to score a List A double century. He smashed 203 from 154 balls, playing for Mumbai against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The record innings featured 17 fours and 12 sixes.

Jaiswal ended up amassing 564 runs in six matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The youngster scored an unbeaten 108 from 83 balls in a game against Afghanistan at Lucknow in November. In the youth ODIs in South Africa, he has put up some impressive all-round shows - 4/13, 89 not out and 2/16 against the Proteas U-19, and 78 against Zimbabwe.

From selling pani puri at Azad Maidan in Mumbai for a living to gaining an IPL contract, and making the India U-19 World Cup squad, Jaiswal’s story is indeed an inspirational one.