Delhi Premier League inaugural edition player draft
Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, Yash Dhull, Ayush Badoni, Anuj Rawat, and Harshit Rana were the top picks of the day at the Delhi Premier League’s inaugural player draft, which took place in New Delhi on Friday evening, August 2.
Purani Dilli 6 signed Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma, while the North Delhi Strikers drafted Harshit Rana, and Yash Dhull joined the Central Delhi Kings.
The draft attracted 270 cricketers from throughout Delhi, including India, IPL, National, and U19 players.
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All-Rounder Lalit Yadav also roped in by the franchise
Purani Dilli 6 assembled a powerful group led by the explosive wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and the seasoned Ishanth Sharma. The franchise has also signed allrounder Lalit Yadav, who just returned from a stint with the Delhi Capitals, and batting allrounder Shivam Sharma.
Purani Dilli 6 also roped in the 20-year-old opening batsmen and off spinner, Arpit Rana and the right-arm pacer, Prince Yadav.
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West Delhi Lions pick Hrithik Shokeen, Navdeep Saini
The West Delhi Lions roped in Hrithik Shokeen as the first pick, followed by the pacer Navdeep Saini. The team’s first five picks included middle order batting Dev Lakra, bowling allrounder Deepak Punia, and off spinner Shivank Vashsisth.
The North Delhi Strikers prioritized pace bowling, selecting the lethal fast bowler Harshit Rana as their draft pick. Notably, Rana dominated the most recent edition of the IPL, taking 19 wickets in just 13 matches, and is currently on his first tour with the Indian team.
The Strikers also picked up leg spinner Suyash Sharma, who played in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ recent victory with medium-pacer Pranshu Vijayran, former India U19 player Vaibhav Kandpal, and Kshitiz Sharma.
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The Central Delhi Kings began their draft with the inclusion of Yash Dhull, a prodigious batsman and former India Under-19 captain, and Prince Choudhary, a right-handed leg spinner.
The East Delhi Riders signed Anuj Rawat, a hard-hitting wicketkeeper batter who has previously played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while fast bowler Simarjeet Singh was their second Category A addition. The Riders have drafted Himmat Singh to boost their batting unit, along with medium pacer Himanshu Chauhan and slow left-arm orthodox spinner Harsh Tyagi.
The South Delhi Superstars’ draft began with the signing of middle order batsman Ayush Badoni, who has been a regular for the Lucknow Super Giants in recent seasons. Kuldip Yadav, a left-arm fast bowler, was the Superstars’ next pick before signing 23-year-old Priyansh Arya and batting all-rounder Sumit Mathur.