CSG’s Sanjay buy among top deals in TNPL auction

CHENNAI: Opener B Sai Sudharsan emerged as the costliest player in the first Tamil Nadu Premier League auction after Lyca Kovai Kings purchased him for Rs 21.6 lakh while premier all-rounder Sanjay Yadav joined four-time champion Chepauk Super Gillies following the second-highest winning bid of Rs 17.6 lakh.

On the first day of the auction at a plush hotel in Mahabalipuram, the 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan, who has scored 694 runs in 17 innings in the TNPL, was the most sought-after player as a number of franchises showed interest in him. After a long and hard battle, Kovai edged out Nellai Royal Kings to bring the highly-rated youngster back to the franchise.

Moments after acquiring the services of Sai Sudharsan, Kovai captain Shahrukh Khan explained the rationale behind spending about 30 per cent of the total purse (Rs 70 lakh) on the opening batter. “Even though he played here only for two years, he was an important member of our team. The impact he showed… he is a certainty in our team. So, we wanted to keep bidding for as long as possible. We are happy to have him back,” said Shahrukh.

Earlier in the day, Chepauk, the most successful franchise in TNPL history, made a statement by going all out for Sanjay, the top-scorer of the sixth edition with 452 runs in nine innings.

After Super Gillies pipped Royal Kings to land Sanjay, the franchise’s co-owner Sivanthi Adityan said: “He offers two roles for us. He is a left-arm spinner. He was the leading run-getter in the TNPL last year, with a fantastic strike rate. It was around 180 (187). It shows he is a quality player. We knew that we wanted someone who does two roles. When we thought that we were getting him for a decent value, we went for him.”