Ishant Sharma set to join Delhi Ranji Trophy squad after going unsold at IPL 2022 auction  

Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma is all set to join the Delhi Ranji Trophy squad in Guwahati ahead of the competition's resumption after two years. The 33-year-old had initially made himself unavailable for selection in the league phase, but has changed his mind following the IPL 2022 mega auction.

Sharma entered the auction at a base price of Rs 1.5 crore, but went unsold. Having played for Team India in 105 Tests, Sharma is no longer a regular feature in the playing XI now. The emergence of Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan has pushed him down the pecking order in the Indian Test team.

The pacer, though, won't be available for Delhi's opening fixture against Tamil Nadu, which begins Thursday. He will have to complete a five-day quarantine period to be eligible for the team's next clash on February 24 against Jharkhand. A team source told PTI in this regard:

"Ishant is reaching today. He will be available from (the) second game. It would have been better for the team if both the pacers were available from (the) first game, but their return is welcome, and it will bolster the team."

Pradeep Sangwan and Navdeep Saini are Delhi's primary fast-bowling choices for their first game. The latter was part of the Ahmedabad bubble in the Indian ODI squad against West Indies, and thus won't require an additional quarantine period.

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"Had Sharma got an IPL deal, he might have skipped" - DDCA Official on the veteran's availability

Ishant Sharma was named in India's squad for the South Africa series, but did not feature in a single Test. He last played for the national team in the home series against New Zealand.

Much like his teammates Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, the right-arm pacer will have to return to the domestic red-ball competition to force his way into national reckoning.

Claiming that Sharma will reach Guwahati later this evening, the DDCA official said:

"If he won't even play Ranji Trophy, there is no reference available for any team to even remotely think of him. Even for national selectors to reconsider him, he needs to play. Had he got an IPL deal, he might have skipped. He has a 3.30 pm flight today,"

U-19 World Cup-winning captain Yash Dhull, who recently bagged a deal with the Delhi Capitals, is likely to open the innings. He is touted to open alongside former CSK player and state captain Dhruv Shorey at the top. The source added:

"He is ready to open. He is in form, and it is best that he is given an opportunity when he is doing well. There is little point in selecting him and not playing him."

The Delhi Ranji Trophy team, led by Pradeep Sangwan, have been drawn alongside Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh in Elite Group H.