Story behind DC's 7.2 crore buy: Sourav Ganguly had promised Kumar Kushagra he'll bid for him

Delhi Capitals spent 7.2 crores for Kumar Kushagra in the IPL 2024 auction.

At the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai, Delhi Capitals secured a promising young talent Kumar Kushagra for a whopping INR 7.20 crores. The incredible buy left many astonished, but it turns out that this acquisition wasn’t merely a product of chance. Behind the scenes, Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly had made a commitment to Kumar’s father, Shashikant, assuring him that Delhi Capitals would spare no expense to bring his son into the squad.

In the trials at Eden Gardens, where Ganguly witnessed firsthand the capabilities of Kushagra. Impressed by the uncapped wicket-keeper-batsman’s ability to hit powerful sixes, play adeptly in the field, and exhibit wicket-keeping skills reminiscent of MS Dhoni.

Sourav Ganguly makes promise to Kumar Kushagra

Ganguly was quick to make a promise. “After the trials at Eden (Gardens), Ganguly told Kushagra that he would play for the Delhi Capitals and the franchise would bid for him till Rs 10 crore. At the trials, Ganguly was impressed with his six-hitting ability and ability to play the field. His keeping skills also impressed Ganguly and even told him that there is a bit of MS Dhoni in him when he whips the bails,” Shashikant revealed in a recent interview with The Indian Express.

Shashikant, still in awe of the turn of events, confessed that he had not anticipated such a substantial bid. “I thought he will get picked by Capitals at base price. For a few minutes, I was so numb. One can only think about miracles, and today was that kind of day. He was confident because Ganguly had promised him, but I thought he must have said this to encourage him,” he stated.

Kushagra, who had made headlines previously by scoring a remarkable 266 runs in a Ranji Trophy match for Jharkhand, became the youngest ever batsman to score 250 in the tournament.

Shashikant reminisced about his son’s cricketing journey, revealing that he took up coaching after Kushagra displayed an interest in the sport at the age of five, “I had never played cricket at any level. I was just a keen follower. When he was five and started showing interest in cricket, I decided that I would coach him. A colleague suggested a book named Art and Science of Cricket by Bob Woolmer. I must have read that book at least four or five times. That book became my coach and I started training Kushagra,” he conluded.

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