Who is Arshin Kulkarni? 5 interesting facts about all-rounder who CSK should target in IPL 2024 Auction

Teenage sensation Arshin Kulkarni has taken the Indian cricketing universe by storm, thanks to his incredible all-round showing in the ongoing ACC Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai.

With the ability to open the batting and bowling as a medium-pacer, Kulkarni has been a revelation so far in the tournament. The 18-year-old single-handedly helped India U19 win their opening game against Afghanistan U19 by seven wickets.

He picked up three crucial wickets to finish with figures of 3/29 to restrict the Afghans to 173 in 50 overs. Then, with India in trouble at 32/2, the opening batter played an assured innings of 70* from 105 deliveries to steer them home.

Kulkarni followed that up with a run-a-ball 24 in India's eight-wicket defeat to Pakistan. Apart from the sheer numbers, his rare skillset of bowling medium-pace while batting at the top of the order has brought him to the limelight.

With the 2024 IPL auction only a week away, the all-rounder is priced at ₹20 lakh and will likely welcome a bidding war should he continue his impressive showing in the U-19 Asia Cup.

The defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could be front runners to land the youngster, considering their need for a batter to replace the retired Ambati Rayudu and a potent medium pacer to complement Deepak Chahar.

Arshin Kulkarni has the potential to satisfy both billings. He could be the pace-bowling all-rounder the franchise has so desperately sought after following Dwayne Bravo's retirement.

Considering all that, here are five interesting facts about Arshin Kulkarni, a cricketer who could create a tussle between the franchises in the 2024 IPL auction.

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#1 Arshin Kulkarni diverged from his family's medicinal path

The Kulkarni family followed the medicinal path until Arshin Kulkarni's father, Atul, wanted his youngest son to diverge from the usual familial path to become a cricketer.

As a failed cricketer, Atul's biggest dream was to make his son play the sport.

"In my family everyone is a doctor including my daughter. I used to play cricket and even Arshin’s grandfather also played cricket," Atul told Indian Express.

While Kulkarni's performance against Afghanistan U-19 was a realization of his father's dreams, the path had several sacrifices.

His coaches told Atul that his son was so talented in cricket that he had to shift to Pune to polish his game and become a professional cricketer. However, Kulkarni was also strong at academics, but the family realized their son’s passion for the game and allowed him to chase his dream.

The family of doctors sat together and decided to move him to Pune in what turned out to be their most important call.

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#2 Arshin Kulkarni was initially a leg-spinner

Arshin wasn't always a fast bowler during his younger days.

Arshin Kulkarni was initially a leg-spinner who could also bat before his coaches insisted on him bowling medium-pace thanks to his physique. Hence, during his U-16 days, the youngster began to bowl medium-pace and became a pace-bowling all-rounder.

Maharasthta's chairman of selectors, Milind Gunjal, recalled Arshin's U-16 days four to five years ago when he used to bowl leg-spin at the nets.

"He was basically a batsman who has added another dimension to his game in just two years. He is tall and strong and uses his height to get the bounce. He is not fast as such bowling in the region of 120-130kmph. If he works more on his bowling and fitness; and remains injury-free, he can touch 140," Milind told Cricxtasy.

Also interesting is that the idea to take up fast bowling was thanks to his grandfather looking at his growth and fitness level. Kulkarni's grandfather was a pace bowler and introduced swing to him by showing him how to use the seam position.

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#3 He was given a pep-talk by Hardik Pandya before the U-19 Asia Cup

Kulkarni immediately hit the ground running at the Asia Cup.

Before heading to Dubai for the ongoing U-19 Asia Cup, Arshin Kulkarni lived his dream of meeting his idol, Hardik Pandya.

Pandya was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Banglore. Kulkarni sought Pandya's advice on dealing with pressure and expectations, to which the champion all-rounder responded - "Just think about the team".

The advice paid immediate rewards as the 18-year-old curbed his naturally attacking instincts to score an unbeaten 70 off 105 balls in the tournament opener against Afghanistan U-19 to propel India U-19 to victory.

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#4 Scored a century and picked up four wickets in the same game in MPL 2023

Arshin produced one of the best all-round performances in a T20 game.

If scoring a century in a T20 game is daunting, imagine doing that and picking up four wickets in a match. Arshin Kulkarni performed that exact feat in the recent Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) for his side, Eagle Nashik Titans.

Riding high after starting their campaign with back-to-back wins, the Titans batted first and scored a mammoth 203/9 in 20 overs. Kulkarni blasted more than half the runs, scoring a sensational 117 off 54 deliveries with three fours and 13 maximums.

However, his magical game wasn't finished yet, as he returned with the ball and picked up figures of 4/21 in four overs to help his side pull off a one-run victory against the Puneri Bappa. The young sensation conceded just four runs in the final over when Bappa required six runs to win.

Despite playing only three games, Arshin finished the 2023 MPL as the third leading run-scorer with 195 runs at an average of 65 and a strike rate of 195. He also picked up five wickets at an economy rate of under seven runs per over.

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#5 Arshin Kulkarni had an impressive all-round showing for Maharashtra in his SMAT debut

Arshin showed no signs of nerves in his SMAT debut.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) is among India's prestigious first-class competitions and is often a stomping ground for IPL selections.

Yet, playing for Maharashtra in his debut season earlier this year, Arshin Kulkarni showed no signs of nerves and performed admirably with bat and ball. In his first game against Bengal, the 18-year-old produced figures of 2/22 in four overs to help Maharashtra register an eight-wicket win.

Following a quickfire 20 off seven balls in the next outing, Kulkarni had his most memorable game in Maharashtra's third match against Puducherry. The budding all-rounder picked up two wickets in his four overs and followed that with a blistering 47 off 22 deliveries to help the side win by eight wickets.

Although he only scored two more 20s and grabbed no further wickets, Kulkarni showcased his all-round skills on a grand stage despite being only 18. He finished with a batting average of over 24 at a strike rate of 163.51 and picked up four wickets in his six outings.