KOCHI: It's not the traditional domestic heavyweights like Mumbai, Delhi, Tamil Nadu or Karnataka that have the largest representation at the IPL auction pool.
Instead, it is Jammu and Kashmir, with a total of 21 players who have been shortlisted for the auction. Of them, 14 are fast bowlers. Some of these players attended the trials of a few IPL franchises while others caught the fancy of talent scouts who watched the Jammu and Kashmir team in action at the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare one-day tournament this year. Clearly, the emergence of Umran Malik has inspired cricketers in the region.
Parvez Rasool, the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play for India and in IPL, feels that the cricketers in the region have more belief in themselves now.
"The infrastructure hasn't changed here, but the thought process has changed. The current crop of cricketers are talented and dreaming big. They work hard to achieve their dreams. The number of players in the IPL auction is a testimony to the emergence of rising talent in Kashmir," the off-spinner told TOI.
