Chetan Sakariya

Son of a tempo-driver, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya became an overnight millionaire during the 2021 IPL auction when he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for INR 1.2 crore. 

Sakariya always had a passion for cricket but his parents did not want him to chase the game as a career. However, the youngster got backing from his maternal uncle, who helped him to realise his dream.  

His journey began at school level and soon he got selected for Saurashtra’s under-16 team. 

He was picked for the under-19 Cooch Behar trophy in 2016-17 season and grabbed 10 wickets for Saurashtra in the tourney. 

His outstanding show in the said event got him enrolled in the MRF Pace Academy, where he impressed Glenn McGrath with his skills during the trials. 

Coming from a humble background, Sakariya could not even afford spikes, however, in the Academy, Sheldon Jackson gifted him a pair.

The Saurashtra pacer made his List-A debut in February 2018. 

During the 2018 Ranji season, he got an opportunity to replace injured Jaydev Unadkat and made his debut in the format, where he picked 29 wickets. 

In the next Ranji season (2019-20), he played a vital role in Saurashtra’s maiden title win, after which, the pacer was called by Royal Challengers Bangalore as a net bowler. 

The 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was sensational for Sakariya, who grabbed 12 wickets and bowled at an economy rate of 4.9. At the same time, he lost his younger brother but was not aware of the unfortunate incident. 

His performance in the domestic T20 tournament led to a phenomenal IPL contract of INR 1.2 crore by Rajasthan Royals for the 14th edition of Indian Premier League.

Chetan Sakariya is a promising talent coming up through the ranks who knows how to bluff the batsman with his angles and varies his pace quite well. His maiden IPL season would be a great learning curve for the young pacer’s life and surely help him to progress as a cricketer. 

(As of March 2021)