Is Devdutt Padikkal the Most Expensive Player at Maharaja Trophy T20 Auction for the Fourth Season?

Bengaluru, July 15 (NationPress) In the latest edition of the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 auction, Devdutt Padikkal emerged as the top contender, securing his place as the most expensive player of the day with a whopping bid of Rs 13.20 lakh by the Hubli Tigers.

Close behind were Abhinav Manohar and Manish Pandey, each fetching Rs 12.20 lakh from the Hubli Tigers and Mysuru Warriors, respectively. The bowlers also made a mark, with Vidwath Kaverappa being signed for Rs 10.80 lakh by the Shivamogga Lions, while the Bengaluru Blasters paid Rs 8.30 lakh for strike bowler Vidyadhar Patil, emphasizing the value of wicket-takers this season.

The Mysuru Warriors focused on strengthening their all-rounder lineup, bringing in K Gowtham for Rs 4.40 lakh, alongside Yashovardhan Parantap for Rs 2.00 lakh. They also reinforced their bowling attack by acquiring last season’s joint leading wicket-taker Kumar LR for Rs 1.50 lakh, along with left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty for Rs 4.70 lakh, pacer Venkatesh M for Rs 2.00 lakh, and Gowtham Mishra for Rs 2.25 lakh. The Warriors didn’t stop there; they added promising wicketkeeper-batter Harshil Dharmani for Rs 3.20 lakh.

In contrast, the Bengaluru Blasters had a slow start, initially not signing anyone in Category A. Their first significant acquisition was Chethan LR for Rs 5.10 lakh, who had previously attracted the highest bid last season. They later secured Vidyadhar Patil for Rs 8.30 lakh, followed by Rohan Patil for Rs 2.70 lakh, and made a substantial investment in spin by acquiring Rohan Naveen for Rs 4.25 lakh and the exciting Madhav Prakash Bajaj for Rs 3.15 lakh.

The Hubli Tigers, starting with the largest budget, made significant moves, acquiring Devdutt Padikkal and Abhinav Manohar. They also strengthened their top order by recruiting experienced Mohammad Taha for Rs 4.60 lakh, along with young pacer Samarth Nagaraj for Rs 3.20 lakh.

The Gulbarga Mystics strategically targeted vital roles, bringing in wicketkeeper-batter KV Siddharth for Rs 6.10 lakh to enhance their middle order, and adding right-arm fast bowler Monish Reddy for Rs 4.65 lakh. They were particularly active in the auction's final phase, securing last season’s top wicket-taker Lavish Kaushal for Rs 7.75 lakh and Nikin Jose for Rs 1 lakh.

Shivamogga Lions also made headlines by investing in young all-rounder Aneeshwar Gautam for Rs 8.20 lakh, and added experienced players like Anirudha Joshi for Rs 3.60 lakh and leg-spinner Deepak Devadiga for Rs 1.20 lakh.

The Mangaluru Dragons were quick off the mark, leading with the notable signing of Shreyas Gopal for Rs 8.60 lakh. They showed confidence in Melu Kranthi Kumar, spending Rs 5.60 lakh on the all-rounder. They also fortified their bowling attack with seasoned pacer Ronit More for Rs 3.40 lakh and Abhishek Prabhakar for Rs 3.07 lakh, while adding batting options in Sharath BR for Rs 2.20 lakh and Shivraj S for Rs 6.55 lakh. Additionally, they brought in wicketkeeper Adarsh Prajwal for Rs 3.25 lakh, completing their roster.

Each team will have the opportunity to make two more additions from their respective catchment areas.

Mysuru Warriors Squad: Karthik S U* (0.50 lakh), Karthik CA* (4.20 lakh), Prasidh Krishna* (2.00 lakh), Karun Nair* (6.80 lakh), Manish Pandey (12.20 lakh), Gowtham K (4.40 lakh), Yashovardhan Parantap (2.00 lakh), Venkatesh M (2.00 lakh), Harshil Dharmani (3.20 lakh), Lankesh KS (0.50 lakh), Kumar LR (1.50 lakh), Goutham Mishra (2.25 lakh), Shikhar Shetty (4.70 lakh), Sumit Kumar (1.00 lakh), Dhanush Gowda (0.50 lakh), Kushaal M Wadhwani (0.50 lakh), Sharath Srinivas (1.00 lakh), Shamanth SM (0.50 lakh).

Bengaluru Blasters Squad: Mayank Agarwal* (14.00 lakh), Shubhang Hegde* (4.30 lakh), Suraj Ahuja* (1.00 lakh), Naveen MG* (2.30 lakh), A Rohan Patil (2.70 lakh), Chetan L R (5.10 lakh), Mohsin Khan (1.00 lakh), Vidyadhar Patil (8.30 lakh), Siddharth Akhil (0.50 lakh), Madhav Prakash Bajaj (3.15 lakh), Rohan Naveen (4.25 lakh), Kruthik Krishna (0.50 lakh), Advith M Shetty (0.25 lakh), Bhuvan Mohan Raju (0.25 lakh), Rohan M Raju (0.25 lakh), Niranjan Naik (0.25 lakh), Prateek Jain (1.00 lakh), Ishaan S (0.50 lakh).

Gulbarga Mystics: Luvnith Sisodia* (7.20 lakh), Pravin Dubey* (6.80 lakh), Vyshak V* (8.80 lakh), Smaran R* (3.15 lakh), Siddharth KV (6.10 lakh), Monish Reddy (4.65 lakh), Lavish Kaushal (7.75 lakh), Prithviraj (0.69 lakh), Harsha Wardhan Khuba (0.25 lakh), Sheetal Kumar (0.25 lakh), Jasper EJ (0.50 lakh), Mohith BA (0.50 lakh), Faizan Raiz (0.25 lakh), Sourab M Muttur (0.25 lakh), SJ Nikin Jose (1.00 lakh), Prajwal Pavan (0.50 lakh), Younus Ali Baig (0.25 lakh), Likhit M Bannur (0.80 lakh).

Hubli Tigers Squad: Manvanth Kumar L* (1.00 lakh), Shrijith KL* (2.10 lakh), KC Cariappa * (4.20 lakh), Karthikeya KP* (1.20 lakh), Abhinav Manohar (12.20 lakh), Devdutt Padikkal (13.20 lakh), Mohammed Taha (4.60 lakh), Vijayaraj B (0.50 lakh), Prakhar Chaturvedi (0.50 lakh), Sankalp SS (0.50 lakh), Samarth Nagaraj (3.20 lakh), Rakshith S (0.50 lakh), Nithin Shanthaveri Nagaraja (0.25 lakh), Yash Raj Punja (0.25 lakh), Ritesh L Bhatkal (1.00 lakh), Shreesha S Achar (1.05 lakh), Nathan Joachim Francis Dmello (0.25 lakh), Nischith Pai (0.50 lakh).

Shivamogga Lions Squad: Vasuki Koushik * (5.90 lakh), Nihal Ullal* (2.10 lakh), Hardik Raj* (5.80 lakh), Avinash D* (5.40 lakh), Vidwath Kaverappa (10.80 lakh), Anirudha Joshi (3.60 lakh), Aneeshwar Gautam (8.20 lakh), Dhruv Prabhakar (0.50 lakh), Sanjay Ashwin C (0.50 lakh), Anand Doddamani (0.50 lakh), Sahil Sharma (0.25 lakh), Deepak Devadiga (1.20 lakh), Bharath Dhuri (0.25 lakh), Rohit Kumar K (0.25 lakh), Tushar Singh (1.05 lakh), Darshan MB (1.10 lakh), Maribasava Chandrashekhar Gowda (0.25 lakh), Sireesh Balgaar (0.25 lakh).

Mangaluru Dragons Squad: Paras Gurbax Arya* (0.50 lakh), Macneil Hadley Noronha* (5.00 lakh), Lochan S Gowda* (0.55 lakh), Abhilash Shetty* (6.30 lakh), Sharath BR (2.20 lakh), Ronit More (3.40 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (8.60 lakh), Melu Kranthi Kumar (5.60 lakh), Sachin Shinde (1.00 lakh), Aneesh KV (1.00 lakh), Thippa Reddy (0.80 lakh), Aaditya Nair (1.10 lakh), Aadarsh Prajwal (3.25 lakh), Abhishek Prabhakar (3.07 lakh), Shivaraj S (6.55 lakh), Pallav Kumar Das (1.00 lakh).