IPL auction 2018: U-19 Cricket World Cupper Shubman Gill picked by Kolkata Knight Riders

While India U-19 World Cup vice-captain Shubman Gill was fast asleep in New Zealand, his parents back home in Mohali were glued to their television set watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on Saturday afternoon. The Gills jumped for joy when 18-year-old Shubman, star of the Indian U-19 team’s campaign in the Youth World Cup, was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 1.8 crore in Bengaluru.

With a base price of Rs 20 lakh, Shubman Gill had most of the franchises bidding for him. While the U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw, too, got a fair deal as Delhi picked him for Rs 1.2 crore, medium-pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti went to KKR for Rs 3.2 crore.

“Shubman had been preparing for the U-19 World Cup 2018 for two years. He wasn’t really keeping an eye out for the IPL auction. Since the day he left for New Zealand, he has been only thinking about winning the trophy for the country. As parents, we were thrilled to see his name in the auction list. His performances in the ongoing World Cup seem to have made a strong impression,” said Shubman’s agriculturalist father Lakhwinder Singh Gill.

The teenager has had a tremendous run in the U-19 World Cup, having shown an impeccable prowess in batting. He has scored three consecutive half-centuries at impressive strike-rates. The stroke-maker scored 63 against Australia in the opening match, an unbeaten 90 runs against Zimbabwe and 86 versus Bangladesh that helped India set up a semi-finals clash with Pakistan on January 30.

“The IPL provides a big platform to Indian domestic players to showcase their talent. For now, I hope Shubman is able to realise his dream of getting the trophy back, as he has been preparing for the semifinal clash with Pakistan with gusto. We will focus on IPL after that,” added Gill senior, who felt playing in the two Ranji Trophy matches this season also helped Shubman gain confidence ahead of the World Cup.