The 2024 Maharaja Trophy, a T20 event organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) ended on Sunday, and here are the breakout stars who will be on the radar of the IPL teams ahead of the mega-auction.
*All stats indicate the performance in the 2024 Maharaja T20 Trophy
LR Chethan (Bengaluru Blasters)
429 runs @ 42.90, SR: 151.59, HS: 89*
Just 24 years old, Chethan, a wicketkeeper-opener, has consistently performed in the Maharaja Trophy in the three editions. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the league in 2022 and made 309 runs last year. This season, he ended as the third-highest-run scorer and was only one of three batters to make more than 400 runs.
More than the number of runs he accumulates, his fearless approach to batting has been his hallmark. This year, only two more batters made more than 300 runs and had a strike rate of more than 150, a figure he has achieved in all three seasons.
With IPL teams always on the lookout for aggressive top-order players who could set the momentum of the innings, Chethan could definitely get a few bids in the auction.
6⃣ x 6⃣ in one over ft. Priyansh Arya!
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Manvanth Kumar (Hubli Tigers)
15 wickets @ 22, ER: 9.80, BBI: 4-33
The right-arm pacer had an excellent season in 2023, ending as the joint-highest wicket-taker, with 22 scalps in 12 innings. He also fared well in this year’s CK Nayudu Trophy, picking up 18 wickets.
He was in fine form this year as well, picking up a wicket every 13.46 deliveries. It took his strike rate in the Maharaja Trophy to 10.97. He is also the highest wicket-taker in the competition, grabbing 37 wickets with two four-wicket hauls, the most by any bowler. He is also a handy batter, and made a 15-ball 28 against Bengaluru.
Besides the traditional skill set of a pacer, he has also developed the knuckleball, which helped him get the attention of various IPL franchises. He has been called up for trials by Mumbai, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in the past.
R Smaran (Gulbarga Mystics)
302 runs @ 43.14, SR: 145.19, HS: 104*
Smaran was one of two centurions this year, making a fine 104* in 60 balls against Mysuru Warriors. A middle-order batter, he made at least 40 runs in an innings at least four times, including two fifties. While his hundred made waves, arguably his best knock in the competition was a 30-ball 63, which helped his team post 206-5 on the board.
The 21-year-old has a strike rate of 141.20 in the history of the Maharaja T20 Trophy and will excite the IPL teams.
Abhilash Shetty (Mangaluru Dragons)
11 wickets @ 22.54, ER: 8, BBI: 4-9
A left-arm pacer and the leading wicket-taker in the Maharaja Trophy last season, Shetty did not find himself among the top wicket-takers this year, but he kept things tight even as the batters scored plenty of runs.
He picked up at least a wicket in seven of his nine innings, with the highlight being his figures of 4-9 against the Blasters. Opening the bowling, Shetty dismissed all four top-order batters, helping them get dismissed for 144. He had also shone against Mysuru Warriors, ending with 2-27 in his four overs even as the opposition posted 226-4 on the board. He was the only bowler from the side to have an economy rate below 9.5 in the innings.
Shetty was a net bowler with Mumbai Indians this year and could fancy getting a bid ahead of the 2025 season.
Suraj Ahuja (Bengaluru Blasters)
286 runs @ 35.75, SR: 166.27, HS: 82*
Ahuja is a 24-year-old wicketkeeper who bats lower down the order. He has left an impression in the Maharaja Trophy - striking at 159.50 in 22 games in the entire competition. It is the fourth-highest among all batters who have scored a minimum of 500 runs, which indicates how consistently he hits the big shots.
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