‘What will this kid do?’ Youngster with no T20 experience fetched ₹2.6 crore at IPL auction; eclipsed Yuvraj Singh

The key to shaping such players lies in spotting them early. This is where scouting teams come into the picture. Just as the Mumbai Indians identified Bumrah and Pandya at a young age, the Delhi Capitals trusted their system to identify and nurture a youngster who, at the time, had little experience to warrant an IPL contract. Pravin Amre, known for his keen eye for talent, discovered a young Shreyas Iyer, who earned his first IPL deal in 2015 without having played a single T20 match.

That was also the year the franchise, then known as the Delhi Daredevils, made headlines by signing Yuvraj Singh for ₹16 crore, making him the most expensive buy at the time. However, the season proved disappointing, with the team finishing seventh. The silver lining, however, was Iyer, who offered a glimpse of the promise he would go on to fulfil.

“I had known Shreyas for 10 years. He needed that break. At the auction table, Shreyas’ base price was ₹10 lakh. From there, it went to 1 crore, to 2 crore and finally to ₹2.6 crore. Shreyas became the first uncapped played for Delhi. He had never even played a T20 before. But as a coach, it was out judgement that he can do it,” Amre said on the Great Indian Cricket Show.

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