Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20: Mega auction to take place on July 25

With 240 players in the pool, including star players in Category A like Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Gopal, K Gowtham, and Sharath BR, set to go under the hammer.

From the 1,400 players who had registered, the final auction pool for the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 has been narrowed down to 240 players based on the franchises' preliminary interest.

Following the recent announcement of player retentions for each of the six franchises, namely, last year's champions Hubli Tigers, runners up, Mysore Warriors, Gulbarga Mystics, Shivamogga Lions, Mangaluru Dragons, and Bengaluru Blasters--the auction will provide teams with an opportunity to acquire new talent and strategically enhance their squads.

Leading the pack in Category A, which comprises India and IPL players, are Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna and seasoned all-rounders Shreyas Gopal and Krishnappa Gowtham, who captained the Shivamogga Lions and Mangaluru Dragons last season. Category A features standout talents including wicketkeeper-batsman Sharath BR, fresh from his stint with the Gujarat Titans, alongside notable players Ronit More, KC Cariappa, J Suchith, and Pravin Dubey.

In Category B, which features senior state players from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tournaments such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, some of last edition's star performers are expected to draw significant attention. This includes the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Luvnith Sisodia, the hard-hitting Mohd. Taha, and Chethan LR, who were among the top scorers last season.

In Category C, which will feature players from all other BCCI tournaments, notable names include Abhilash Shetty, one of last season's top wicket-takers, and Samit Dravid, who represented Karnataka U19 in the Cooch Behar Trophy.

Meanwhile, Category D will be reserved for all other registered players of KSCA. The auction will require each team to have a minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 20 players, including at least two players from their respective catchment areas.

The remaining purses for each team following their retentions are as follows: Gulbarga Mystics have Rs. 23,95,000 left, Hubli Tigers have Rs. 30,00,000, Shivamogga Lions have Rs. 25,90,000, Mysore Warriors have Rs. 29,50,000, Bengaluru Blasters have Rs. 30,95,000, and Mangaluru Dragons have Rs. 34,40,000.

"We are all set for another auction, which has become an integral part of the competition. This year we have had the highest number of registrations, and this is indicative of the growth of the Maharaja Trophy. The option to retain players along with the auction allows teams to map out their strategy for the upcoming season while keeping a degree of continuity within their franchise," Commissioner of the Maharaja Trophy and Vice President of KSCA, BK Sampath Kumar was quoted in a release from KSCA as saying.

The third edition of the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 is scheduled to begin on August 15.

List of Retained Players:

Hubli Tigers: Manish Pandey, Shrijith KL, Manvanth Kumar, Vidwath Kaverappa.

Mysore Warriors: Karun Nair, CA Karthik, S.U. Karthik, Manoj Bhandage.

Gulbarga Mystics: Devdutt Padikkal, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Smaran Ravi, Aneesh KV.

Shivamogga Lions: Abhinav Manohar, Nihal Ullal, Shivraj S, Vasuki Koushik.

Mangaluru Dragons: Nikin Jose, Rohan Patil, Siddharth KV, Paras Gurbax Arya.

Bengaluru Blasters: Mayank Agarwal, Suraj Ahuja, Shubhang Hegde, Mohsin Khan. (ANI)