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Follow UsThe third edition of the Maharaja Trophy saw a pool of youngsters making a name for themselves. Teams found out quality players stepping up and shining on the major stage. All these players, through their excellent performance in the 2024 Maharaja Trophy, would have undoubtedly impressed the talent scouts of the IPL; some of them can certainly be expected to get an IPL contract in the upcoming auction.
Let us look at who could potentially get picked in the upcoming IPL mega auction.
LR Chethan (Bengaluru Blasters)
- LR Chethan has been the biggest breakout performer in Maharaja Trophy since its inception in 2022.
- The wicket-keeping opening batter has consistently been in the top three highest run scorers in all three seasons.
- In the 2024 edition, he lived up to the most expensive player tag as he scored 429 runs at an explosive strike rate of 151, taking Bengaluru Blasters to the final.
- He has been a regular face during the IPL trials as he featured in the Kolkata Knight Riders trials in the last two seasons.
Luvnith Sisodia (Gulbarga Mystics)
- Luvnith Sisodia has been a consistent batter in Maharaja Trophy since the first season. He has scored over 1000 runs at an excellent strike rate of 149.
- The left-handed opening batter consistently gave his side an explosive start at the beginning of the innings, scoring at a strike rate of 148 in first six overs. Overall, in his Maharaja Trophy career, Sisodia has smashed 109 boundaries in the powerplay, which is joint most for a batter in the phase.
Hardik Raj (Shivamogga Lions)
- Hardik Raj had another fantastic edition of Maharaja Trophy. The left arm spin bowling all-rounder picked up seven wickets with the ball and scored 155 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 180.
- Against the Bengaluru Blasters, the left-hander hit a blistering fifty, getting to the landmark off just 21 balls.
- The 18-year-old youngster has been amongst the fastest rising players in the country over the last 12 months as his excellent debut season in 2023 even led to selection for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy 2024, where he scored 223 runs and picked up 15 wickets in five games
L Manvanth Kumar (Hubli Tigers)
- L Manvanth Kumar has been the best pacer in Maharaja Trophy in the last two seasons. He's picked up a total of 37 wickets across the last two seasons.
- The right arm fast bowler has picked up 80% of his wickets in middle and slog overs, maintaining an economy of less than eight runs per over combinedly across the two phases.
- He gets majority of his wickets through back of a length deliveries and has an excellent slower one under his repertoire.
Vidyadhar Patil (Mysore Warriors)
- Vidyadhar Patil has been one of the consistent pacers in Karnataka's domestic circuit. He had a good edition at the Maharaja Trophy, picking up 16 wickets at a strike rate of 11.6.
- The right arm pacer excels in both powerplay and slog overs. In the final, he showcased his skills by castling Mayank Agarwal in the very first over of the chase.
- He manages to move the ball both ways during powerplay and, in the slog overs, brings bouncers and cutters into play.
Abhilash Shetty (Mangaluru Dragons)
- Abhilash Shetty has been one of the standout performers in Maharaja Trophy across the last two seasons.
- The left arm pacer was the highest wicket taker in the 2023 season with 22 wickets. This season, he picked up 11 wickets at an E.R of 8.00.
- He generally makes real impact while bowling first, with 26 of his 33 wickets in the Maharaja Trophy coming when his side bowls first.
- He has all the variations checked as he can move the ball, bowl sharp bouncers and can deceive the batters with cutters.
Karthik SU (Mysore Warriors)
- Karthik SU made a good impression in his first full season in the Maharaja Trophy. He was the fourth-highest run-getter in the competition and showcased very good consistency, crossing the 25-run mark in 50% of the innings he batted.
- The right-hand opening batter stepped up in the knockouts, scoring 53 and 71 runs in semifinal and final, respectively, playing a crucial role in Mysore winning their first Maharaja Trophy.
- He has done well in the U19 circuit throughout the year, showcasing quality batsmanship at the top order for Karnataka.
Suraj Ahuja (Bengaluru Blasters)
- Suraj Ahuja had an impressive run in the 2024 Maharaja Trophy, scoring 286 runs at an excellent strike rate of 166.
- The right-handed wicket-keeper batter of Bengaluru Blasters played explosively in the middle order, hammering pacers at an aggressive strike rate of 205.
- He had the biggest partnership in Maharaja Trophy history as he notched up a match winning 169-run stand with Shubhang Hegde against Shivamogga Lions.
Deepak Devadiga (Mysore Warriors)
- Deepak Devadiga is young mystery spinner who made quite the impression, picking five wickets at a decent economy of 8.00.
- Deepak is someone who has a bag of variations. He turns the ball both the ways along with some good drift and bowls quicker ones akin to Piyush Chawla.
- Carrom ball was his go-to in the Maharaja Trophy as he's picked up six of his seven wickets with this variation.
- He was a part of the net bowlers for RCB during IPL 2024.
Paras Arya (Mangaluru Dragons)
- A young left-arm spinner with plenty of promise, Paras Arya has taken 15 wickets across two Maharaja Trophy seasons, at a reasonable economy of 8.00.
- In this season, he picked up just five wickets. However, four of those five wickets were in the slog overs, making him a reliable spinner at the death.
- He is a typical orthodox spinner as all his 15 wickets in the competition have been stock deliveries, turning from right to left.
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