Tilak, Milind over the moon with IPL contracts

Hyderabad: The second and final day of the IPL mega auction saw four Hyderabad players – N Thakur Tilak Varma, CV Milind, Rahul Buddhi and Bhagat Varma – being bought by different teams, in Bengaluru on Sunday. Former India under-19 World Cup cricketer and promising youngster Tilak Varma bagged an impressive deal of Rs 1.7 crore […]

Hyderabad: The second and final day of the IPL mega auction saw four Hyderabad players – N Thakur Tilak Varma, CV Milind, Rahul Buddhi and Bhagat Varma – being bought by different teams, in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Former India under-19 World Cup cricketer and promising youngster Tilak Varma bagged an impressive deal of Rs 1.7 crore from five-time champions Mumbai Indians while CV Milind attracted Rs 25 lakh from Royal Challengers Bengaluru. While Chennai Super Kings retained Bhagat Varma, Mumbai bought Rahul for their base price of Rs 20 lakh.

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After Sunrisers Hyderabad opened bidding, Tilak Varma triggered a battle between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings before Mumbai bagged him. The 19-year-old Tilak was over the moon. “I am very happy to be picked up by Mumbai Indians. It is my favourite team and to be playing for them is a dream,” he said from Cuttack, where the Hyderabad team is preparing for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season.

He also revealed that it was a pleasant surprise to bag such a high price. “I was confident that I would be bought in the auction. But I didn’t expect such a big amount. I grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar and I will be spending time with him and Rohit Sharma, who is best in the business. I get to learn from the legends of the game,” he added.

Tilak, however, said that he is firmly focused on doing well in the Ranji Trophy. “It is a very big confidence booster for me for the upcoming Ranji Trophy. My focus is firmly on doing well in the season,” he added.

Meanwhile, Milind, who was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) team earlier, was happy to be back in the mix. “I am feeling very happy. To be frank, I didn’t see the auction. I got a text from my teammates.”

The 27-year-old pace spearhead of Hyderabad team is excited at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with Virat Kohli and Co. “It is very exciting. It will be a great exposure for me. It is a great chance to play and rub shoulders with top players. I am in a good space now and it gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the Ranji Trophy. I feel happy to know that I am in the mix of things,” he added.

However disappointment was in store for the likes of Hyderabad captain Tanmay Agarwal, who was the highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, Tanay Thyagarajan, Bavanaka Sandeep. Team India cricketer G Hanuma Vihari too failed to find a franchise.

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