IPL Auction 2024: Who is Kumar Kushagra? Young Jharkhand 'Keeper Sold For Rs 7.20 Crore

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Jharkhand's young cricketer Kumar Kushagra saw the limelight up close on the big payday of Indian cricket as Delhi Capitals spent Rs 7.20 crore on the teenage wicketkeeper during the IPL Auction 2024 in Dubai on Tuesday (December 19).

Expectedly inspired by Jharkhand's dearest son MS Dhoni, Kumar Kushagra took to wicketkeeping early on in his junior career and also attended the off-season camp by Delhi Capitals, who eventually roped in his services for the IPL 2024.

Kushagra began participating in age-group cricket as early as 2016 with his debut for Jharkhand at Vijay Merchant Trophy. 2019 saw him make significant progress quickly. He was selected for Afghanistan's Under-19 tour of India since he was the leading run scorer in both the Under-16 zonal matches and the Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy.

He only scored a couple of 20s and a duck in the five low-scoring matches and got a 47 (51) against New Zealand under-19 in an ensuing series in South Africa.

A year later, Kushagra was a member of the 2020 Under-19 World Cup squad at the age of 15. The Under-19 team management led by Rahul Dravid noticed something in the youngster and took him in the team comprised of Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, three current senior Indian players.

In the one game he participated at the U-19 World Cup Kushagra scored an undefeated 13 (11) against Japan to help Jaiswal and him chase the minuscule target of 42. For the teenager, it can be viewed as a lost opportunity as despite being eligible for more than one Under-19 World Cup, players are only permitted to participate in one by the BCCI.

Prior to the 2020 World Cup, Kumar Kushagra was also called up to the Jharkhand Ranji Trophy team, however he was forced to miss it due to a pre-tournament camp. Thus, in 2021, he made his debuts on the List A and T20. He finally got his chance under the sun for a format he was best suited for, having participated in two matches each in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophies.

Nevertheless, Kushagra was unlucky enough to miss the opening Ranji Trophy match of 2022 against Chhattisgarh, this time because of a twisted ankle. He had a lackluster debut, but he went on to score 439 runs at an average of 62.71 from seven innings. In his rookie season, he led Jharkhand in runs scored and ranked thirteenth overall in the tournament.

He amassed two fifty-cent runs. The first occurred in his second game, on a twisting ground, against Tamil Nadu and their outstanding bowling attack.

As Jharkhand seemed to be out at 49/4 with 212 runs to chase in the last innings, Kushagra joined his captain Saurabh Tiwary. His attritional 121-ball 50 took them to 139/5, and Tiwary batted brilliantly with the middle-order to lead them to a narrow two-wicket win. Despite having a lackluster debut, he went on to score 439 runs at an average of 62.71 from seven innings. In his rookie season, he led Jharkhand in runs scored and ranked thirteenth overall in the tournament.

Later in the tournament, in the pre-quarterfinals against Nagaland, Kushagra piled on 266 runs at almost run-a-ball with the aid of 37 boundaries and two sixes at the Eden Gardens. With the innings, Kumar Kushagra broke the 47-year record held by Pakistani star Javed Miandad, who struck 311 at the age of 17 years and 311 days in 1975, to become the youngest player in history to reach 250 in first-class cricket at 17 years and 141 days.