- By Gurmeet Batra
- Wed, 16 Jul 2025 04:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The fourth edition of the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 auction saw India middle-order batter Devdutt Padikkal attract the highest bid of Rs 13.20 lakh in the players auction held on Tuesday.
Devdutt was bought by Hubli Tigers ahead of the tournament which is set to take place between August 11 and 27 behind closed doors.
Abhinav Manohar, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and former India batter Manish Pandey received the second-highest bids, going to the Hubli Tigers and Mysuru Warriors respectively for Rs 12.20 lakh each.
Among the bowlers, Shivamogga Lions went big for Karnataka pacer Vidwath Kaverappa at Rs 10.80 lakh, while Bengaluru Blasters shelled out Rs 8.30 lakh for pacer Vidyadhar Patil.
The Shivamogga Lions bought India A batter Aneeshwar Gautam for Rs 8.20 lakh, while Mangaluru Dragons highlighted their auction day with the purchase of veteran Shreyas Gopal for Rs 8.60 lakh.
Each team will make two more additions to their squads with players from their respective catchment areas.
Mysuru Warriors placed a strong emphasis on all-rounders with the addition of K Gowtham for Rs 4.40 lakh, while Yashovardhan Parantap, was roped in for Rs 2.00 lakh.
The Warriors further bolstered their bowling with the signing of last season's joint leading wicket-taker Kumar LR (Rs 1.50 lakh), left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty for a hefty Rs 4.70 lakh, pacer Venkatesh M (Rs 2.00 lakh), and Gowtham Mishra (Rs 2.25 lakh) as well. They further reinforced the top order with promising wicketkeeper-batter Harshil Dharmani (Rs 3.20 lakh).
Bengaluru Blasters had a slow start with no signing in Category A. Their first move came with the acquisition of Chethan LR for Rs 5.10 lakh, a notable pick, having fetched the highest price in last season's auction. They secured strike bowler Vidyadhar Patil for Rs 8.30 lakh.
They continued to stack their batting with the fluent Rohan Patil (Rs 2.70 lakh) and spent big on spin by securing Rohan Naveen for Rs 4.25 lakh, followed by the exciting 16-year-old Madhav Prakash Bajaj for Rs 3.15 lakh.
Hubli Tigers, holding the biggest purse going into the day, made big moves with the signings of Devdutt Padikkal and Abhinav Manohar. The experienced Mohammad Taha was brought in to strengthen the top order for Rs 4.60 lakh, while young pacer Samarth Nagaraj joined the ranks for Rs 3.20 lakh.
