BENGALURU: Former Mumbai Indians coach and current talent scout John Wright was keeping a close eye on the Vijay Hazare Trophy proceedings last month in Bengaluru. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s head of scouting, Malolan Rangarajan was around too. With the IPL auction on December 19, spotters from various teams will also throng the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which starts on Friday.
Franchises will have a closer look at players who are not associated with any team at present. So a number of domestic players will throw their hat in the auction ring. Though their aim will be to help their teams win the T20 trophy, the tournament will also act as an IPL audition for some.
The Vijay Hazare performers — including Amandeep Khare (420 runs, Chhattisgarh), Baba Aparajith (598, Tamil Nadu), Vishnu Vinod (508, Kerala), Roosh Kalaria (21 wickets, Gujarat) — have to be on their toes throughout the domestic T20 tournament. More success could mean getting closer to IPL contracts.
Khare, who has played at the under-19 level for India, is looking at the bigger picture. “IPL is a dream. Everyone wants to play, as it is the best platform for youngsters, who want to play for India too. Performance in Mushtaq Ali will matter and one has to be consistent, with the scouts expected to be present. If I have a good outing, my chances of being picked increases,” Khare said.
Aparajith, one of the consistent domestic players, went unsold in last year’s auction. Even when he was part of Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiants, he failed to feature in any game. The right-hander is playing like a batsman who has found a new gear.
“I also aspire to play in the IPL and it’s surely going to happen one day or the other. But, at present, I just want to perform consistently for Tamil Nadu, be consistent and leave the rest up to the people concerned at the auctions,” said Aparajith.
Jaiswal big attraction
The 17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal will be participating in the U-19 Challenger Trophy to be held in Hyderabad from Sunday. He has not been included in the Mumbai squad for Mushtaq Ali. But the southpaw, who created a storm with 564 runs including a double ton in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, has attracted several IPL teams.
“Around four to five IPL teams have already shown massive interest in Jaiswal. Names of the teams cannot be disclosed yet, but he did attend some of the trials as well,” said Jaiswal’s coach and mentor, Jwala Singh.