When Chennai Super Kings coughed up Rs 1.5 crore for Rajvardhan Hangargekar, the U-19 World Cup winning all-rounder’s thoughts were with his father who succumbed to Covid in 2020. Chennai Super Kings was his father’s favourite team, and its captain MS Dhoni his favourite cricketer.
Tracking the IPL auction on Sunday, it seemed too much of a dream to be true for the son. “My father just loved CSK and used to follow them passionately. I wish he were alive to see this day,” Hangargekar told The Indian Express. “Wherever he is, he will certainly be happier than all of us. I really have no words,” he said, choking with emotion.
Seamer Raj Angad Bawa, man of the match in the Under-19 World Cup final, was picked up by Punjab Kings for Rs 2 crore. And he is eager to meet South Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada, one of his heroes. “I can’t wait to pick his brains,” he said.
Bawa’s father, Sukhwinder, can’t stop gushing over the prospect of his son interacting with Anil Kumble, Punjab’s head coach. “He will get to learn a lot from Kumble. It will be a good learning phase for him overall,” he said.
U-19 World Cup team skipper and swashbuckling batsman Yash Dhull would be sharing the dressing room with Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw after Delhi Capitals snapped him up for Rs 50 lakh.
For the players, it’s not only the windfall from the auction — to go with Rs 40 lakh announced by BCCI for each player on the World Cup-winning team — that has them excited but also the prospect of playing alongside some of their heroes, and those of their parents.
“More than money, for me, playing is important. These things will come as long as I am performing. So, my only focus will be on doing well in my cricket,” Hangarekar said.
After their dominating conquest in the West Indies, it was expected that the U-19 World Cup team would draw the attention of IPL franchises. There would have been more players from the squad but for the IPL eligibility norm that only those with experience in domestic cricket, or who had turned 19 before the auction, could enrol.
As for the three that made it, they are aware of being at the foothill of their careers. Asked about playing under Dhoni, Hangargekar said: “I will seek his guidance, and there is a lot to learn from him.”
Bawa’s father, a cricket coach, knows that his son may not get chances straightaway, but wants him to make the best use of the opportunity to share space with some of the world’s best cricketers.
“Sharing the dressing room with the likes of Rabada, Mayank Agarwal and Liam Livingstone will be massive. It will be a good learning phase for him, but I am an old-school coach who believes there is no substitute for first-class cricket. My only advice to Raj is to stay fit, give 100 per cent in the field, be it batting, bowling or bowling, and stay in the present,” Sukhwinder said.
The coaches hope that IPL will help make their wards’ transition to first-class cricket smoother. Dhull’s coach Pradeep Kochar said: “He must stay in the present. Keep performing, he shouldn’t get distracted by this fame and stay humble. I have given him ample examples of so many promising U-19 cricketers who failed to cope with pressure at the senior level.”
Kochar said: “From now onwards, it is a mental game. No coach can improve his skills. His priority should be on the mental aspects of his game; then only will he be able to survive.”
Hangargekar’s coach Mohan Jadhav wants his ward to keep an eye on Dhoni. “Playing in the IPL is a dream for every cricketer. My only advice to Rajvardhan is to watch and learn from Dhoni. I know if given a chance, he will showcase his talent as well. There will be nerves, but he is mentally very strong. I have seen him grow as a person since he lost his father to Covid in June 2020.”