KNOW YOUR PLAYER
Follow UsEvery Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction comes up with a golden opportunity for domestic Indian stars to make a name for themselves. The Meerut-born Sameer Rizvi has been one of those beneficiaries in the auction for the 2024 season. Inducing a bidding war between three sides - Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals in order - Rizvi was signed 42 times his base price of INR 20 lakh. In the end, he was sold to the five-time IPL champions: CSK for INR 8.4 crore.
Only 20 years old, Rizvi captured the imagination of multiple IPL scouts with his stroke play in the inaugural edition of the Uttar Pradesh T20 League. His young age did not deter the Kanpur Superstars management from handing him the responsibility of captaincy, nor did it affect his batting.
Rizvi scored 455 runs in nine innings. His tally had two centuries, including the fastest one in the tournament (47 balls). A right-handed batter who relies on his hands a bit more than the rest, his range was on display as he left no area of the ground untouched. He also struck 35 sixes in those nine innings, the most maximums in the league.
Having just turned 20 a few days ago, Rizvi missed every IPL trial he was invited to because he was asked to lead the Uttar Pradesh U-23 side. He entered the auction with a fantastic season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy behind him, where he scored over 250 runs at a strike rate just a shade below 140 and an average of about 70.
Speaking during the IPL mock auction on Jio Cinema, former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund mentioned that he was told by an IPL scout that Rizvi is a right-handed Suresh Raina.
"One of the IPL scouts actually told me that he was the right-handed Suresh Raina. The areas that he hits against spin are similar and many teams might go after him," Abhinav Mukund said.
That explains why CSK were so keen on acquiring the services of Rizvi. In more similarities with Raina, the Meerut-born also bowls occasional off-spin.
Cover image credits: Sameer Rizvi's Instagram
