Invest money in yourself: Raina and Uthappa's tip to uncapped IPL players

MUMBAI: For a handful of uncapped Indian players, this IPL 2023 Player Auction was nothing less than a theatre of dreams. The climb up to the springboard that IPL began this Friday for Jammu & Kashmir all-rounder Vivrant Sharma and Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar. For some, like Mayank Dagar, Shivam Mavi and KS Bharat, it is a second coming, this time with more expectations.

Gujarat Titans rewarded Mavi's IPL and domestic experience as he raked in INR 6 crores to become the most expensive uncapped Indian player on Friday. Kumar's consistency with India 'A' and the call-up for India's ODI team against South Africa this September was well-noted by Delhi Capitals as they snapped him for INR 5.5 crore.

"It is so good to see players coming from a small town and making it big in the Indian Premier League. That's what the Indian Premier League is meant to do for Indians," said JioCinema expert Suresh Raina. Kumar was born in Bihar's Gopalganj, but fate had him come to Kolkata, where he rose through the ranks to reach this point.

Sharma, hailing from Jammu & Kashmir, made his Ranji Trophy debut this season, and on Friday, he was picking himself up after a big loss to Gujarat. The price Sunrisers Hyderabad paid (INR 2.6 crore) could have been a consolation. The Hyderabad franchise knew what they were going into as Sharma was a nets bowler with them in the 2022 season.

"This is a springboard for them to grow personally and professionally. These players can go on and play for India, buy houses for their families, and spend the money on looking after their bodies, so much so that the teams don't think of starting without them and are retained not just for the coming season but for a long period," explained Suresh Raina.

Among other notable uncapped names, Mayank Dagar (INR 1.8 crores) and KS Bharat (INR 1.2 crores) went to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans, respectively. "They need to invest this money in themselves and keep getting better," said Robin Uthappa on JioCinema.