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CSK’s ₹14.20cr IPL buy: Jadeja-like Prashant Veer hits big time
Prashant Veer became IPL's most expensive uncapped player at ₹14.20 crore after impressing teams with his all-round skills and consistency.
LUCKNOW: Until a few days ago, Prashant Veer was travelling between Mumbai and Kolkata to play every match for Uttar Pradesh, both in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) tournament and the Under-23 Men’s State A Trophy.
Even while travelling and performing, Veer, a native of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, stayed focused on his plan of making the cut for the 2026 Indian Premier League as he had impressed almost every franchise at the trials.
However, Veer’s quality as a utility player in the shortest format of the game, both as a left-arm orthodox spinner and hard-hitting batter, took him to another level on Tuesday when he became the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history after Chennai Super Kings bought him for ₹14.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi.
The 20-year-old Veer entered the auction at a base price of ₹30 lakh. He attracted all teams with Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians starting off the bidding before Chennai Super Kings joined in after MI dropped out. The price rose swiftly to ₹4.2 crore with CSK in control, only for Rajasthan Royals to jump in and drive it up to ₹6 crore. But CSK responded to keep the contest alive, pushing the bid to ₹6.6 crore.
The drama continued as Sunrisers Hyderabad then triggered a dramatic escalation, taking the price from ₹6.8 crore into double figures as the bids surged towards the ₹14 crore mark. CSK eventually outbid the others, securing Veer for ₹14.20 crore.
“I am sure of getting an opportunity to play in the IPL as for the last two years I have been waiting for an opportunity,” Veer had said while attending the trials for Royal Challengers Bengaluru just after Uttar Pradesh missed out a knockout berth in the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy early this month.
One of the reasons behind Veer’s confidence of making it to the IPL side was his solid performance in the third edition of the UPT20 League here in Lucknow in September where he turned out to be a star for Noida Super Kings.
“I had an average of 50-plus last season with 10 wickets in Under-23, and the UPT20 League boosted my confidence further as I could do well for my side. In fact, this season, I didn’t do anything special and remained calculative both in batting and bowling and it paid rich dividends,” Veer said.
UP’s U23 side coach and former India cricketer, Gyanendra Pandey, was overwhelmed after Veer’s purchase to CSK. “He is a perfect player for CSK like Ravindra Jadeja, and throughout the tournament I found in him an energetic performer with the bat and the ball,” said Pandey.
“His courageous attitude at the ground makes him different from others. I’m sure he is going to be a trump card for CSK in the upcoming IPL season,” Pandey added.
Son of a siksha mitra (govt-appointed guide for education), Veer has represented Uttar Pradesh across formats and showcased remarkable consistency, even while juggling SMAT duties with the BCCI U23 tournament and playing six matches in seven days while shuttling between Mumbai and Kolkata.
“I enjoyed shuttling from Mumbai to Kolkata and then back to Mumbai for the U23 and SMAT matches and every time I tried to live up to the expectations,” said Veer, who finished with 112 runs at a strike rate of 169.69 and bagged nine wickets at an economy of 6.76 in SMAT. This included a standout 3/20 and an unbeaten 40.
His T20 strike rate is 135 with four half-centuries in 20 matches, while in first-class cricket he has 30 wickets and 780 runs at 45.88 average. In the U23 50-over event, he amassed 376 runs while averaging 94 with a 128.76 strike rate. It includes 87 off 65 balls in the final. He snared 18 wickets to earn Player of the Tournament as Uttar Pradesh finished runner-up.
Prashant’s UP T20 League exploits with Noida Super Kings — 320 runs at a blistering strike rate of 155.34 – further highlight his batting prowess. This form has caught the eye of IPL scouts ahead of the auction, with CSK trialling him as a possible successor to Jadeja after the seasoned allrounder’s Rajasthan Royals move.
For CSK, Veer offers value, a lower-middle order finisher who bowls economically and fields well. His rise embodies the grit of domestic grind — relentless travel, dual-format demands, and explosive outputs — and it is poised, for now, to propel him into the IPL spotlight.
