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Diamonds in the rough: How IPL is slowly changing the fabric of Indian cricket
The number of uncapped players picked up in the auction and money spent is steadily rising as franchise scouting programs gain currency
Mumbai: The IPL talent scout WhatsApp groups are constantly buzzing in the lead up to the player auctions. Some of these groups have just the scouts and coaching staff, others have even the CEOs and there is at least one group where even the franchise owner is a participant. With every local match watched and documented, gone are the days when swathes of cricket talent would go untapped, with only the 15 who play for India bagging their spot in the limelight.
There is this fairly well-known story of Parthiv Patel suggesting to the then RCB captain Virat Kohli to watch this up and coming Gujarat fast bowler with an awkward action. The star batter had other things on his plate. Jasprit Bumrah was scouted and hunted down by the Mumbai Indians.
If it was today, any bowler with rare traits would be routed to the scouting division, his action studied for forensic analysis before being cleared for customised trials. If more than one franchise were chasing him, multiple scouts would then be seated in far corners of a non-descript ground watching local matches to evaluate his match temperament.
RCB might have been late to join the party, but are up to speed now. Even though Mangesh Yadav’s name came up for bidding late in Tuesday’s IPL auction, they had preserved enough cash to bag him for ₹ 5.2 crore, because the Madhya Pradesh left-arm pacer was their designated target as a back-up for Yash Dayal.
“RCB has one of the strongest scouting groups in terms of numbers and we watch almost every match that is played anywhere in India. Malolan (Rangarajan) who heads the talent scouts has a group of people working under him, who have played domestic cricket and bring in vast knowledge. They give us input on who we should pick,” Dinesh Karthik, RCB, batting coach and mentor said in an in-house video.
Karthik added: “We had been watching Mangesh in the Madhya Pradesh League and watched him in trials. But we knew a lot of other teams had also been looking at him. He came much later in the auction so it was important to keep that allowance in mind.”
Yadav, 23, finished the fourth most expensive uncapped Indian in the auction and was one among 39 such players sold from a total of 77 signings.
With an increasing number of state T20 leagues acting as a feeder line, the number of uncapped players picked up at auctions has been steadily rising. More importantly, the spending on these players has skyrocketed, suggesting franchises trust them to come good right away. The top five uncapped Indians accounted for 21% of the total spends in the 2026 auction; this proportion was a sharp rise compared to previous mini auctions. It was 15% in 2024 and 11% in 2021 and ‘23.
One could argue this year’s increase is down to Chennai Super Kings’ bold philosophy of chasing youth. But they couldn’t have done it alone. Kathik Sharma’s six-hitting prowess was chased by four other franchises that lifted the Rajasthan keeper batter’s bid to ₹14.2 crore. Similarly, three franchises challenged CSK in the bidding war for spin all-rounder Prashant Veer.
“Any team with a strong local core is in good shape. For that, you have to invest time and money,” Stephen Fleming, CSK head coach told reporters. “Scouting around numerous tournaments around India is becoming very important. Players have been bought and studied with a view for performance now and also with an eye on the future. This can be life changing to be rewarded for doing something they love.”
At a skill level, the IPL scouting revolution is seeing a proliferation of talent adept at T20 smarts. Even though Indian cricket does not encourage T20 as a format at the junior level, for a generation growing up watching an overdose of high-quality T20 action on their smartphones, they fully recognize the worth of power hitting for batters and mystery spin for spinners and defensive traits for fast bowlers.
In the bargain, the art of batting out a day against the moving ball and setting up wickets with the red ball may be losing appeal, but the benefits of ready-to-strike T20 cricketers will only strengthen India’s talent pool in that sphere.
Not every young talent can soak in the applause like Vaibhav Suryavanshi though. Big money is accompanied by the baggage of pressure. Those picked up cheaply are better placed. “When you have value buys, they can focus more on the skills and less on value because a lot of them are going to play their first IPL,” said Varun Aaron, SRH bowling coach.
“All of them are extremely talented players, who went above average prices of uncapped players over the years. You need to remember, what got you those prices,” said Akash Ambani, MI team owner. “Don’t wear it on your head. It’s just demand-supply and timing of the auction.”
That, though, may be easier said than done.
