Who is Kumar Kushagra, the wicket-keeper batter bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 7.20 crore in IPL Auction 2024

Jharkhand wicket-keeper batter Kumar Kushagra piqued the interest of multiple teams in the IPL 2024 auction, with Delhi Capitals finally landing landing the player for a price of Rs. 7.2 crore.

Kumar Kushagra of East Zone, in action against South Zone during the finals of Deodhar Trophy match held at Siechem Stadium in Puducherry on Thursday. | Photo Credit: KUMAR SS / The Hindu

Jharkhand wicket-keeper batter Kumar Kushagra piqued the interest of multiple teams in the IPL 2024 auction, with Delhi Capitals finally landing landing the player for a price of Rs. 7.2 crore. 

The Capitals had to fend off interest from Chennai Super Kings first and then from Gujarat Titans to rope in the talents of Kushagra.

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The 19-year-old was the sixth-highest run getter in the Deodhar Trophy earlier this year with 227 runs in five innings at a strike rate 109.13. This included a fifty for East Zone in the final defeat against South Zone

Kushagra made his presence felt in the Vijay Hazare trophy, smacking a 37-ball 67 as he helped his side surmount a 355-run target against Maharashtra.

The right-handed batter was a part of India’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2020.

In 2022, Kushagra caught the eyeballs of Indian cricket enthusiasts, after he scored a double hundred against Nagaland in the pre-quarterfinal of the Ranji Trophy, when he was just 17, making him the youngest batter to score 250 or more in a first class innings.