Noida Kings owner: Shubham Gautam from UPCA Speed Hunt was our best auction pick
Synopsis
Noida Kings went into the UP T20 League Season 4 auction with a precise financial plan — and it paid off. By landing spinner Shiva Singh under budget, they freed up room to outbid the field for UPCA Speed Hunt discovery Shubham Gautam at ₹21.5 lakh, while retaining IPL-bound Prashant Veer and 19-wicket pacer Naman Tiwari. Owner Anuj Sharma says the squad is built exactly to plan.
Key Takeaways
Noida Kings secured Shubham Gautam for ₹21.5 lakh — their costliest and, per owner Anuj Sharma , their best auction pick.
Gautam was identified through the UPCA Speed Hunt scouting initiative.
Spinner Shiva Singh , a former U-19 World Cup winner , was signed for ₹17.5 lakh against a budgeted ₹25 lakh , creating the financial margin for Gautam.
Retained all-rounder Prashant Veer scored 320 runs at a strike rate of 155.34 and took 8 wickets last season; he has since signed with Chennai Super Kings for the IPL.
Retained pacer Naman Tiwari claimed 19 wickets in the previous edition, finishing among the tournament's top bowlers.
The UP T20 League Season 4 begins 14 August , featuring 34 matches across 24 days in Lucknow and Kanpur .
Noida Kings owner Anuj Sharma has declared the signing of Shubham Gautam — scouted through the UPCA Speed Hunt initiative — as the franchise's standout acquisition ahead of the UP T20 League Season 4, which begins on 14 August. Gautam was secured for ₹21.5 lakh, making him the costliest pick in the Kings' auction strategy.
Auction Strategy and Key Picks
Sharma described the player auction as a near-perfect execution of the franchise's pre-set blueprint. 'The auction was very good for us. We achieved nearly 100 percent of the targets we had set,' he said. The Kings entered the auction with a dual-target approach, earmarking funds for both Gautam and spinner Shiva Singh.
The financial planning proved decisive. The franchise had budgeted roughly ₹25 lakh for Shiva Singh but secured him for ₹17.5 lakh, freeing up headroom to outbid rivals for Gautam. 'We knew lots of people would be targeting him, and we were confident from the beginning about securing him and Shiva Singh,' Sharma explained. 'Everything was fulfilled properly.'
Retained Core: Veer and Tiwari Lead the Way
The backbone of the squad rests on two high-profile retentions. All-rounder Prashant Veer, who recently earned an IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings, was a dominant force in the previous UP T20 League season — amassing 320 runs at a strike rate of 155.34 and claiming 8 wickets at an economy rate below seven.
Left-arm pacer Naman Tiwari, an India U-19 World Cup representative, is also retained after finishing among the tournament's top bowlers last season with 19 wickets. Together, Veer and Tiwari give the Kings a proven match-winning combination across formats.
New Additions Strengthen Depth
Batting reinforcement arrives via trade acquisition Madhav Kaushik, who brings aggressive top-order stability and a history of big scores in the competition. The spin department is bolstered by Shiva Singh, a former U-19 World Cup winner whose slow left-arm orthodox bowling is expected to be a key weapon on turning tracks at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur.
Tournament Format and Venues
The UP T20 League Season 4 will feature 34 matches across 24 days, with fixtures shared between the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. The Noida Kings are now in a training camp phase as they finalise preparations for the title tilt.
Noida Kings 2026 squad: Prashant Veer, Naman Tiwari, Ravi Singh, Aaditya Sharma, Kunal Tyagi, Anivesh Choudhary, Karthik Sidhhu, Madhav Kaushik, Anchit Yadav, Shaurya Singh, Shoaib Siddiqui, Rajat Sanserwal, Shiva Singh, Shubham Gautam, Piyush Singh, Vansh, Deepak Rajput, and Siddharth Choudhary.
Point of View
Marquee target second — is a textbook small-franchise play in state T20 leagues where purse limits punish panic bidding. Securing Shiva Singh under budget to fund the Gautam chase shows a level of pre-auction financial modelling rarely articulated this openly by franchise owners. The real test, however, is whether UPCA Speed Hunt products like Gautam translate scouting promise into match-day performance under pressure. Prashant Veer's IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings adds a compelling subplot: if he fires in the UP T20 League, the Kings get validation; if he is managed conservatively ahead of an IPL debut, their batting depth will be tested far earlier than Sharma's confident post-auction tone suggests.
NationPress
4 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shubham Gautam and why did Noida Kings prioritise him?
Shubham Gautam is a rising cricketer identified through the official UPCA Speed Hunt scouting programme. Noida Kings owner Anuj Sharma described him as the franchise's best auction pick, securing him for ₹21.5 lakh after anticipating strong competition from rival franchises.
When does the UP T20 League Season 4 begin?
The UP T20 League Season 4 is scheduled to begin on 14 August. The tournament will feature 34 matches across 24 days, played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
What are Prashant Veer's credentials for Noida Kings?
Prashant Veer is a retained all-rounder who scored 320 runs at a strike rate of 155.34 and claimed 8 wickets at an economy rate below seven in the previous UP T20 League season. He has since earned an IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings.
How did Noida Kings manage their auction budget to sign Shubham Gautam?
The franchise had allocated around ₹25 lakh for spinner Shiva Singh but signed him for ₹17.5 lakh, generating a surplus that was redirected to outbid rivals for Shubham Gautam at ₹21.5 lakh. Owner Anuj Sharma credited the pre-planned financial strategy for making both signings possible.
Who is Naman Tiwari and what did he achieve last season?
Naman Tiwari is a retained left-arm pacer who represented India at the U-19 World Cup. He claimed 19 wickets in the previous UP T20 League edition, finishing among the tournament's leading bowlers.
