Ganguly, the DC director, set aside ₹10 crore for the Jharkhand-born 19-year-old keeper-batter. That is fifty times the ₹20 lakh base price.
It would be an understatement to say that Kumar Kushagra made an impression on Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, during the trials that were held in Kolkata a few months ago. It could be anything. Take an example of this: Ganguly allocated ₹10 crore for the Jharkhand-born 19-year-old keeper-batter. That is fifty times the ₹20 lakh base price. The former captain of India was prepared to spend everything in the IPL 2024 auction to secure Kushagra. Ganguly might not have known that in order to secure the young player’s first IPL contract with DC, he would nearly have to keep his word.
Following an intense match against Gujarat Titans, DC paid an incredible ₹7.2 crore to acquire Kushagra. The young player was initially viewed favourably by MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, another team. There are more ties between Kushagra and the great man than just that. Kushagra is an offensive keeper-batter who plays for Jharkhand, the same team that Dhoni formerly played for in domestic cricket.
When questioned about Kushagra and Dhoni being from the same state, Ganguly told broadcasters Jio Cinema, “He will do really well if he achieves half of him (Dhoni).”
The former president of the BCCI may have skillfully sidestepped that query, but throughout the trials, he noticed some Dhoni-like qualities in Kushagra. Kumar Kushagra’s father, Shashikhant, disclosed that his son’s fielding prowess had bowled out Ganguly. Ganguly was impressed with his fielding skills and six-hitting prowess during the trials. He told The Indian Express that Ganguly was impressed by his keeping abilities and even mentioned that he had a hint of MS Dhoni when he whipped the bails.
Shashikant remembered that Ganguly had promised him ₹10 crore, but he never really believed it. Not that DC wouldn’t bid on his son, but it’s rare for a 19-year-old uncapped player to fetch that much; the only other uncapped Indian to win ₹10 crore at an IPL auction is Avesh Khan.
Ganguly informed Kushagra that he would play for the Delhi Capitals and that the team would bid up to ₹10 crore for him following the trials at Eden Gardens. I assumed the Capitals would select him at base. I felt like I was numb for a few minutes. Miracles are all one can think about, and today was one of those days. He was sure because Ganguly had given him his word, but he might have said this to boost his confidence, he continued.
Were the striking trails the only thing that drew DC and Ganguly to Kushagra? Not precisely. The record for the youngest cricket player to score 250 or more in a first-class match is currently held by the then-17-year-old. In a Ranji Trophy 2021–22 match against Nagaland, he had performed that. His 266-run innings broke the long-standing record held by Pakistani legend Javed Miandad. Although the young player is undoubtedly one for the future and could be a backup behind the wickets if DC decides to play Rishabh Pant exclusively as a batter, his T20 strike rate of 117.64 doesn’t exactly exude confidence.
Kushagra, like the majority of Indian cricket players, was bitten by the game at a very young age. “I had never participated in competitive cricket.” All I was was an eager disciple. I decided to coach him when he first expressed interest in cricket at the age of five. Bob Woolmer’s book, The Art and Science of Cricket was recommended by a coworker. That book, I think I read it four or five times at least. Shasikant recollected, “I started training Kushagra after that book became my coach.