KOCHI: A day after Sanju Samson struck it rich in the player auction, four more Kerala cricketers made it to the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, thus taking the total number to six.
KM Asif, Sachin Baby, MD Nidheesh and Midhun S were the latest additions. Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad had bought wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju and pacer Basil Thambi respectively on Saturday.
Sanju made a rich haul of `8 crore while Basil had to contend with `95 lakh. Unheralded pacer Asif, who was impressive in the Mushtaq Ali T20 South Zone qualifiers recently, was bought by Chennai Super Kings for `40 lakh. Known for his pace, the 24-year-old from Edavannappara in Malappuram, has been training under Aussie great Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation, Chennai, for the past one year.
Kerala medium pacer Nidheesh, who has been impressive throughout last season in the longer format, was snatched by the Mumbai Indians for `20 lakh while skipper Sachin Baby made it to the Hyderabad roster also for the same amount. Leg-spinner Midhun got a call-up from Rajasthan for `20 lakh.
Asif said he was happy to be part of CSK as it would give him a chance to share the dressing room with India great M S Dhoni.“It’s the biggest advantage,” Asif told Express. For Asif, Nidheesh and Midhun, this will be their IPL debut.
A native of Harippad, Midhun was impressive in the BCCI U-23 one-day league, where he won a hat-trick against Andhra. It seems to have caught the scouts’ attention.“This is a great occasion for me. I’m thankful to Kerala cricket for helping me come thus far,” said Midhun.“I can learn a lot with Mumbai Indians,” said Nidheesh.