IPL 2020: All you need to know about Rajasthan Royal's 1.3 crore buy Kartik Tyagi

Spearheading India's pace attack at the Under-19 level, Uttar Pradesh's Kartik Tyagi was caught up in the middle of a bidding war between IPL teams Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.

Tyagi, who crosses the 140kmph mark consistently, impressed former Uttar Pradesh captain Rizwan Shamsad at a selection trial. The former bowled at good lengths and hit the target more often than not and soon found himself playing for his state side in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy.

The future looks promising ✨Meet teenage sensations Akash Singh and Kartik Tyagi, ready to #HallaBol in pink. 💗 pic.twitter.com/Xo2ATpdjU6

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 20, 2019

Tyagi impressed the senior selection team of Uttar Pradesh after he played a vital part in winning the tournament after edging out defending champions Vidarbha based on a first-innings lead. Soon Tyagi played his first match with the senior side under captain Suresh Raina. Although his debut Ranji match ended up in a loss, Tyagi impressed one and all with his impeccable line and length and specifically his pace, taking three wickets in the process.

SK's IPL Live Commentary

Tyagi also took nine wickets in only five matches in the Youth ODI series in England this year to further enhance his reputation as a strike bowler. In only three games, Tyagi picked up six wickets against a strong Afghanistan U-19 side recently and looks like a serious threat going into the U-19 WC as India's trump pacer.

Talking to PTI about the price-tag on young Tyagi and the kind of responsibilities it brings along with it, Rajasthan co-owner Manoj Badale said:

"I think with Jaiswal and even Tyagi, they are players who we think can play a very important role for Royals over the next four-five years... There is a lot of money in the room spent on very small number of players, therefore the inflated prices. But I think that's quite tough for young players, it's probably nice for their families... But it's tough for them in terms of the pressure, so you have to be clear with them. That it is a three- to four-year journey that you want to take them on."

Looking at Kartik Tyagi's pace, it's wise to remember two Under-19 WC winning pacers, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, who both came on to the scene strongly only to be ruled out due to injuries. KKR bought Nagarkoti for ₹3.2 crore and Mavi for ₹3 crore in 2018 but both were ruled out of this year's IPL. For Tyagi to convert his early success in the career into something big, the pacer's injury management will have to be handled with care.

Kartik Tyagi