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Avesh Khan revealed the emotional conversation he had with Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant after he was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 10 crores.
Avesh Khan was one of the stars of the Indian Premier League- IPL 2021 season as he ended the edition with the second most wickets- 24, behind Harshal Patel’s record haul of 32 scalps. However, DC didn’t retain Avesh Khan as they chose Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, and Anrich Nortje as their pre-IPL 2022 auction retentions.
After LSG’s successful bid, Khan became the most expensive uncapped pick in IPL auction history. The 25-year-old shattered the previous record of Rs 9.25 crore paid for Krishnappa Gowtham by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2021.
"I was on the flight at that time and I had expected I would get at least seven crores. But since I was on the flight and couldn’t watch the auction live, I was feeling a bit nervous thinking which team would pick me and for how much. Upon landing when I got to know that Lucknow bought me for 10 crores, I froze for five seconds. But then things became normal, I was like okay," said Avesh Khan while speaking to Sportskeeda.
Avesh added: "I would miss them [Ricky Ponting and Co.] a lot because I had an emotional connect with the Delhi Capitals. After our flight landed in Kolkata, I met Rishabh outside and he held his arms wide open for giving me a hug. He told me, ‘Sorry, le nahin paye’".
The IPL 2022 is slated to begin in late March and is expected to be played in India itself. Avesh is currently with the Indian squad that will take on West Indies in the three-match T20I series at the Eden Gardens, starting February 16. The Madhya Pradesh-born fast bowler will be aiming to break into the playing XI and make an impression at the highest level