"It felt like home....": Ashutosh Sharma on stint with Punjab Kings in debut IPL

Ashutosh, who has been released by PBKS ahead of the IPL mega auction for the next season, was speaking to ANI.

Speaking on his journey with the franchise, Ashutosh said that the franchise felt like "home" after a while and thanked them for the opportunity they gave him.

"It was a great season. It felt like home. The support staff and all are very helping. I was treated well. The CEO Satish sir treated me like a child. I was given a chance to express myself at this big stage and I am very grateful for it," said Ashutosh.

In his debut IPL season, Ashutosh made 189 runs in 11 matches and nine innings at an average of 27.00, with a strike rate of 167.25 and one half-century. His best score was 61.

The batter expressed that while he would love coming to PBKS after the mega auction taking place from November 24-25 in Jeddah, his other favourite franchises to join would be, "Chennai Super Kings (CSK) because of Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) because of Virat bhaiya (Virat Kohli) and Mumbai Indians (MI) because of Surya bhai (Suryakumar Yadav)."

On his batting partner Shashank getting retained by the franchise for Rs 5.5 crore along with Prabhsimran Singh (for Rs 4 crores), Ashutosh said that he is happy for him that he is getting a reward for his hardwork. He also opened up on his bond with the batter, which had "belief" in each other as a central value.

"He performed well last year. I am happy for him that he has got his reward. Hope he continues doing well. We had a very good bond since we used to bat together in nets and practice matches. Our batting numbers were also close. We had a lot of belief in each other that we could win the matches if we bat deep. I enjoyed batting with him," Ashutosh said.

In 14 matches last year, Shashank scored 354 runs at an average of 44.25 with a strike rate of 164.65, scoring two half-centuries. His best score is 68*.

On playing and learning with big international stars in the franchise, Ashutosh said, "I got to learn how they handle pressure and how they perform at their best in such situations. Their calmness, self-belief and the will to win is what I learnt from them."

Talking about his side's run chase of 262 runs against eventual champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during group stage last year, Ashutosh said that never once did the team feel they would fail and the overall atmosphere was really positive.

"When the partnership (between Shashank and Jonny Bairstow) was going on, it changed the game. I was padded up, waiting for bat. The celebration was done in a team get-together," he added.

Speaking about his ambitions to play for India, Ashutosh said, "This is a dream for every player to play for India and win matches for India. This is what I think as well. I want to perform well in my matches and play for India. I keep visualizing it."

Ashutosh also played a fun game, giving his two overseas players, two Indian international stars and an uncapped player of his choice if he was given a task to assemble a team as an owner.

"Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and me," he replied.

Registration for the IPL 2025 player auction has officially closed, with a total of 1,574 players signing up, including 1,165 Indian players and 409 overseas players, all competing for a place in the world's premier T20 league. The auction will be held over two days, on November 24 and 25, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The registered players include 320 capped players, 1,224 uncapped players, and 30 from Associate Nations. Specifically, there are 48 capped Indian players, 272 capped international players, 152 uncapped Indian players with previous IPL experience, 3 uncapped international players with prior IPL experience, 965 uncapped Indian players, and 104 uncapped international players.

Of the 409 overseas players, South Africa leads with 91 registrations, followed by Australia with 76, and England with 52. Other notable countries include New Zealand (39), West Indies (33),

Afghanistan and Sri Lanka (29 each), and the USA (10). Players from Bangladesh (13), Ireland (9), Canada (4), Netherlands (12), Zimbabwe (8), Scotland (2), UAE (1), and Italy (1) have also registered.

With each of the ten IPL franchises able to assemble a maximum squad of 25 players, a total of 204 slots will be available at the IPL 2025 player auction. The event promises intense competition as teams build their rosters for the next three years. (ANI)