Picture Credit: Twitter
The 2nd day of the IPL auction kicked off in style; franchises with a lesser amount in the purse were seen a bit concerned while spending big amount on players. Few players like Eoin Morgan and Aaron Finch witnessed no buyers, while few uncapped players earned big during the auction. One such player was a new sensation, Raj Bawa, from the India U19 World Cup squad.
Raj Bawa, who impressed many with his recent all-around performance in ICC U19 World Cup, emerged as a standout player even during auctions. As expected, franchises like Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings expressed their desire to secure players. Bawa's name created a bidding war between these franchises, but soon SRH pulled themselves out. However, the tussle between Punjab and Mumbai went for a while, but Punjab Kings trusted Raj Bawa until the end and secured him for whopping two crores. Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia was ecstatic after winning the bid for Raj Bawa, who hails from a family with a history in Indian sports. Earlier, Punjab Kings secured the services of England and former Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Liam Livingstone for Rs 11.50 crore.
In contrast, another player from India U19 squad Vicky Ostwal, went unsold, surprising everyone. Raj Bawa produced match-winning performances in the ICC tournament with bat and ball in India's title-winning campaign in the U19 World Cup. Bawa is a prolific all-rounder, and his game is best suited to IPL format. Notably, Bawa picked a fifer in the U19 World Cup final and also contributed with the bat.